This time last year, Ulster's season was slipping away with no clear direction. Now, their path is crystal clear—Bilbao awaits.

Saturday's commanding 29-12 victory over Exeter Chiefs in the Challenge Cup semi-finals has put Ulster just one win away from ending a 20-year trophy drought. The performance in Belfast was nothing short of dominant, as the home side proved too powerful for the English visitors from start to finish.

Coming into the match, Ulster carried a weight of past semi-final disappointments. They had let leads slip against the Stormers in the 2022 United Rugby Championship semi-final and against Leicester Tigers in the previous year's Challenge Cup. But this team is different.

Head coach Richie Murphy was quick to highlight that his young squad isn't burdened by history. "I heard it all week, 'Ulster are never good in semi-finals. They don't win semi-finals,'" Murphy said. "Well, this Ulster team has never been in a semi-final before."

His point is well-made. Of the starting XV that lost to the Stormers in Cape Town, only five players—Tom O'Toole, Iain Henderson, Nick Timoney, Stuart McCloskey, and Ethan McIlroy—featured against Exeter. In just four years, Ulster have transformed into a fearless, evolving squad that plays without the weight of past failures.

"We've managed to win, which is fantastic, and we have a big task to go and try and win a final," Murphy added. "When we get to that in three weeks' time, we'll be doing everything that we can to make sure that we're at our very best over there."

Montpellier or Dragons await in the final, but for now, Ulster and their supporters can celebrate. The Belfast sunshine matched the mood at full-time, with celebrations lasting long after the final whistle. Ulster's last silverware came in 2006 with the Celtic Challenge. After years of near misses, this resurgent squad is ready to write a new chapter.