Head coach Dan McFarland says the manner of Ulster’s victory over Munster is a testament to the work his players have put in over the season.
“It’s obviously brilliant to be in a semi-final,” said McFarland.
“To win in that manner against Munster, a really quality team, is a testament to the work the guys have put in.”
Ulster’s victory sets up an away semi-final against the winners of Saturday evening’s last-eight encounter between Edinburgh and the Stormers.
No Irish province has managed to beat the Stormers in South Africa this season, with Ulster falling to a 23-20 defeat in Cape Town in March, but McFarland refused to say he would prefer the much shorter trip to the Scottish capital, where his side won 16-10 at the end of April.
“I’m not going to say that,” McFarland said.
“The logistics guys would prefer Edinburgh because it’s an absolute disaster trying to organise flights to South Africa.
“We could be going out in like four different flights over the week, but to me we owe the Stormers one and I love Edinburgh so it wouldn’t matter either way.”
Ulster’s dominant defeat of Munster will have come as a surprise to many given the latter’s home and away victories over the northern province earlier in the season.
Friday’s quarter-final in Belfast marked a dismal end to Johann van Graan’s Munster reign, too, with the South African set to take over at Premiership side Bath.
Speaking on BBC Radio Foyle Sportsound, former Ulster and Ireland lock Dan Tuohy described Munster’s performance as “tragic”.
“They were terrible,” said Tuohy, who spent seven years at Ulster between 2009 and 2016.
“They looked like a team that were beaten in the first five minutes. They looked off the pace, unfit, disjointed and another season comes to a close for them.”
Former Ulster and Glasgow wing Tommy Seymour agreed that Munster’s sub-par display at Kingspan Stadium came as a major shock.
“Munster just didn’t seem connected,” said Seymour.
“It was bizarre and untypical of them, they were doing things you wouldn’t associate with their play.
“I’m not surprised that Ulster won but I never would have expected the level of difference that we saw between the two sides.”
‘Timoney deserves spot on New Zealand tour’
Back row Nick Timoney was one of several Ulster players – along with James Hume, Robert Baloucoune and Stuart McCloskey – to shine on Friday with Ireland head coach Andy Farrell watching in the stands.
But it was Timoney who caught Tuohy’s eye with the 11-time Ireland international arguing that the 26-year-old has shown enough over the course of the season to warrant selection for the upcoming tour of New Zealand.
“Nick Timoney’s performance never drops below a seven or an eight,” said Tuohy.
“He’s been consistent throughout the season but the problem he’s going to suffer now is Peter O’Mahony, he’s probably been on the bench a lot for Ireland recently, but he has so much credit in the bank with the management team.
“But eventually that has to stop and performances have to take over. Timoney is explosive, he’s an athlete, he reads the game well, he’s got a good injury profile – he’s got everything you want in an Ireland jersey and he’ll give every last drop of blood to play for that team.
“I really do believe he deserves a spot on the plane to New Zealand and I think he can force his way into the same starting team.”
