Ulster cruised into the semi-finals of the United Rugby Championship thanks to a thumping 36-17 win over Munster at the Kingspan Stadium on Friday night.
Grit and guile dovetailed beautifully as John Cooney, Stewart Moore (two), Nick Timoney and the immense James Hume scampered over for tries in either half.
Moore’s first try was the pick of the night, the young full-back rounding off a slick move involving the superb Hume, Robert Baloucoune and Ethan McIlroy.
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Timoney’s score wasn’t bad either, the barnstorming flanker sprinting over after a midfield break by Hume who played like a man possessed.
A comfortable victory sealed progress to the semi-finals with a trip to either the Stormers or Edinburgh, who play on Saturday, lying in wait next weekend.
Ulster were ahead in the 10th minute when Cooney, celebrating his 100th cap for the province, crossed the whitewash for his first try of the season.
It was a bit of a pickpocket effort. With a number of Munster players distracted by a melee, the alert Hume tapped a quick penalty to send the scrum-half racing over unopposed.
Cooney stepped up to convert to ease the home side into a 7-0 lead.
It was all square nine minutes later when Jean Kleyn muscled over from close range, a TMO check proving a potential knock-on had bounced off the tip of his boot.
Joey Carbery stroked over the conversion to make it 7-7 before Ulster took the lead with one of the tries of the URC season so far.
Where to start? Stuart McCloskey and Hume showed quick hands to release Baloucoune and he passed wide for Moore who linked up with McIlroy.
McIlroy’s superb reverse pass inside sent Moore over with Cooney adding two further points with a cool conversion.
It was 19-7 seven minutes before the half-time break when Moore, deputising at full-back for the injured Michael Lowry, pounced for his second try of the night.
Referee Jaco Peyper initially ruled a knock-on but a TMO check proved that the 22-year-old had grounded the ball in the corner following a superb pass from Hume.
Cooney missed the conversion but it mattered little as Ulster stormed into a 26-7 lead with a superb Timoney try three minutes into the second half.
McCloskey and Hume were at the heart of it again, the former releasing the latter to race into open ground and pass inside for Timoney to sprint home for his eighth try of the season.
Cooney coolly kicked his third conversion of the night to ease McFarland’s men into a 19 point lead.
Munster gave themselves a lifeline in some style when Keith Earls took to the air to dot the ball in the corner, Carbery missing the conversion, to leave the score at 26-12.
But Cooney, carrying a shoulder injury, kicked a penalty in the 57th minute to add a further three points to Ulster’s tally before being replaced by Nathan Doak soon after.
Hume’s pulsating performance was rewarded with a try in the 61st minute, the centre rocking and rolling his way over the line from inside the 22, Doak kicking the conversion.
Earls dived over from close range for his second try of the night, Carbery rattling the woodwork with the conversion, to complete the scoring as Ulster marched into the last-four.
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