​Second spot ‘irrelevant’ for Ulster’s Dan McFarland

Ulster finished runners-up to Leinster after 18 games of the regular season and have the right to host a semi-final if they get past the western province in the last eight.

McFarland’s side also have the luxury of knowing they would not have to travel outside Ireland if they go all the way to the final in the tournament.

As top seeds, Leinster have home advantage all the way through – meaning if they reach the final it would be in Dublin but if they were to be knocked out and Ulster reached the decider it would be at Kingspan Stadium.

“Finishing second is not important at all unless you win the quarter-final, in my head it is about this week,” said McFarland. “So, in terms of its relevance to the future, as it stands right now it is irrelevant.

"That way we can wrap our heads around what I consider an extremely big task on Friday night.

“In terms of legacy and how I feel about finishing second...the team, the players and the support staff should be very proud of themselves.

“It is an 18-game season...we won 13 games – one better than we did last year - we have scored 75 tries this year and demonstrated that we can win some tough games.

"Even with the sticky patch in the middle of the year, we have come out and won 13 games and managed to finish one place ahead of where we did last year, so in terms of legacy and what we have done they should be proud of that.

“This week is about a playoff game at Ravenhill/Kingspan and we will be totally focused on that for this week.”

Friday night is a case of win or the season is over for Ulster.

But McFarland is treating Connacht like any other game.

“You don’t want to be on the beach with rocks under your sun towel, the preparation and the way you go about it – and I have said this for European weeks – it pretty much stays the same,” he said. “It changes a little bit as you get to the end of the season because the nature of the physical work you have put in so far you are riding that wave at the end of the season a little bit.

"But you still go through the same process.

“It is the same detail, ‘Sopes’ (Dan Soper) goes through the attack, it is the same process we go through...but being a playoff game there is always an added intensity to it as it is knockout rugby.”

McFarland is delighted forwards coach Roddy Grant recently penned a new two-year deal to stay at Ulster.

“Roddy has been a right-hand man for me for the last four years,” he said. “When he arrived you have to remember he had never coached a forward pack...at that stage he was assistant forwards coach at Edinburgh.

"I knew him from coaching at Scotland were he came in and helped me with the breakdown and it was there I felt that he was someone I really wanted to work with because of his ability, his enthusiasm, his ability to get a message across at the level of defence, breakdown and forwards...so, it is great.”