Ulster stunned two-time winners Munster on Sunday, beating them 22-16 in their European Cup quarter-final -- the hosts' first home defeat in any quarter-final in all competitions.
Former Springbok international Ruan Pienaar contributed 15 points with his boot to give Ulster only their second win at Thomond Park in 20 years and a semi-final date in Dublin with another surprise winner from the quarter-finals Edinburgh, who beat Toulouse on Saturday.
The only previous time Ulster reached this stage they went on to win the trophy in 1999.
"Our defence really did it for us," said Ulster's Irish international flanker Stephen Ferris.
"We just kept on getting on top of them whenever they had the ball. We are making another step forward.
"We feel we are going places. We wanted to make a statement to European rugby that we are a force to be reckoned with."
Munster skipper Paul O'Connell said his side had given themselves too much to do.
"We gave ourselves a massive hill to climb," said the veteran Irish lock. "We had enough possession to climb it but we didn't handle the ball well enough."
Champions Leinster, who thrashed Cardiff on Saturday, will play Clermont in the other semi-final.
The French club reached the last four for the first time after beating Saracens 22-3.
Munster, who were bidding for a record 10th appearance in the semi-finals, were left reeling as Ulster stormed into a 16-0 lead after just 20 minutes.
Pienaar punished them for their ill-discipline, landing two penalties from inside his own half before a brilliant individual try by 22-year-old wing Craig Gilroy.
A quick passing movement found him on the left wing but inside his own half, before he showed an electrifying burst of speed to outstrip first his opposite number Denis Hurley and then break another three tackles to touch down.
Pienaar had no trouble adding the conversion and then slotted over another penalty in the 20th minute to make it 16-0.
Nothing was going right for Munster at this stage with elementary mistakes being made by even their most experienced players such as Ronan O'Gara.
Ulster, though, could do little wrong and fly-half Ian Humphreys, son of former Ireland fly-half David who inspired Ulster to the 1999 trophy, dropped a goal from a long way out to make it 19-0.
Munster, though, showed the patience and nerve that has served them so well down the years as Simon Zebo scored his fourth try in five European Cup appearances after shrugging off a despairing tackle by Andrew Trimble to touch down in the corner.
O'Gara put over a brilliant conversion from the touchline for 19-7 and things swung back further towards Munster when Ulster flanker Chris Henry was sin-binned in the 37th minute.
The hosts went in just nine points in arrears as O'Gara slotted over a long range penalty.
O'Gara landed another penalty early in the second-half to take the hosts within a converted try of taking the lead.
However, the faultless Pienaar converted another penalty with just over 20 minutes remaining to make it 22-13. Record points scorer in the competition O'Gara added one of his own on the hour mark to make it 22-16.
Pienaar, though, was found to be fallible when he had a chance to put the game beyond the hosts in the 75th minute but for once he missed. However it was not to matter as they held out for a famous victory.
At Watford, Clermont made the semi-finals for the first time after three quarter-final losses with a 22-3 win over Saracens.
Clermont fly-half Brock James kicked 17 points after coming on as a third-minute replacement while Wales full-back Lee Byrne scored the only try of the match after Nathan Hines and Aurelien Rougerie had combined to create the opening.
Source: AFP Global Edition
