It gets better and better, and it wouldn't be stretching things to say this remarkable Ulster odyssey in the European Cup now transcends mere rugby. Amid the overwhelming feel-good factor which was permeating Ravenhill and beyond in his finest hour as a coach, the affable Harry Williams perhaps put it best into perspective when he re-invoked the spirit of Barry McGuigan.
"He brought the whole community together and perhaps we can take up his mantle. The general atmosphere in the build-up to this game and throughout it has been incredible. The game was sold out by Tuesday and it's been a marketing man's dream. The spin-offs commercially can reach out into the whole community."
Indeed, one of the first things the Ulster Branch chief executive Michael Reid did after Saturday's victory over Stade Francais was contact the team's kit suppliers, Canterbury, to order a new set of replica jerseys for the January 30th final in Lansdowne Road against Colomiers (which will be televised live by Network 2).
For last year's final Bath sold their one-off replica jerseys for the final at £75 a go - and sold 2,000 of them. It is estimated that Bath made £1 million through gate receipts, merchandising and other spin-offs.
As it is, Saturday's victory was worth £66,000 to Ulster, extending their bonus prize-money to £126,500 - all of which, along with their participation monies, will actually be given to the IRFU, but presumably Ulster will receive a fair chunk of it. Coupled with their own ancillary earnings, all of this ought to help the province lure more of their prodigal sons home.
It has to be said that Stade Francais contributed to a sporting encounter and were eminently gracious in defeat. Serge Simon, their battle-hardened loose-head who did not endear himself to Leinster in their two group meetings, said: "We didn't have the necessary serenity and that 80-metre try was like a stab in the back."
"But for the first time in my life I can say that the winner on this day was rugby. The conditions were marvellous and the public support was extraordinary, and I'm very happy for these people because we have been able to understand how much this victory meant for all the people."
Maintaining Williams's comparison with the McGuigan rollercoaster, fittingly Ulster will now take their odyssey to Dublin on January 30th.
This has the makings of the province's greatest sporting day, and a suitable celebration of Ulster's sporting achievements, with plans afoot to invite McGuigan, Mary Peters, Willie JohnMcBride and George Best to the final, as well as politicians and other dignitaries (one of the first people to congratulate the Ulster squad in the home changing room was David Trimble).
Hardened ERC Ltd officials admitted that Saturday's occasion surpassed even previous finals, and privately they must be indebted to Ulster for making the troubled competition a huge success. A possible curtain raiser is the Times European Students Cup, and all the better therefore were UCC to win through their semi-final.
Hell-bent on ensuring the attendance at the final will surpass the record 41,664 who saw Brive beat Leicester two years ago, ERC and IRFU officials will meet in Dublin on Tuesday to finalise their plans. Ulster's success will mean further disruption to the rescheduled AIL games pencilled in for that day, while the Ulster management and Dungannon coach Willie Anderson will request that Saturday week's games involving the Ulster players also be cancelled to afford them every chance of winning the Cup. After all, Irish rugby may never have a chance like this again.
