Pro12 victory talk not on Connacht minds ahead of URC semi-final against Stormers

A slender silver trophy sits proudly on the mantlepiece, framed neatly between the broad shoulders of Niall Murray and Finlay Bealham.

The duo, working hard on their comedy routine for the long flight to Cape Town via Doha, almost a full day in the air, are in mischievous mood as they chat to reporters via Zoom on Monday.

Their spirits are boosted by a famous win in Belfast, where three days previous they shook up the BKT URC playoffs by beating Ulster to earn a shot at the defending champions DHL Stormers in tomorrow's semi-final.

The talk is of Bealham's moisturiser, chicken burgers, Mack Hansen's Wolverine beard, kids' plasters and St Brigid's football.

There is also confirmation that the prize in the background is indeed the Pro12 trophy that was held aloft by John Muldoon in Murrayfield on that unforgettable day seven years ago.

Well, unforgettable to a degree.

The Connacht camp, appeared to have discussed the topic and decided that it's not going to be used as a driver this week.

Ireland prop Bealham was among the five players from the win over Ulster to be on the field when they beat Leinster on an unflattering scoreline of 20-10 for the most incredible championship win.

"There hasn't been a whole lot of chat about that to be honest," the 31-year-old, who alongside Murray was named in the URC team of the year, tells RTÉ Sport.

"We’re a really focused group and we know the challenge ahead of us this Saturday. Look, 2016 is a bloody long time ago now.

"We’ve a really great bunch of coaches and players here and they know what a big game this will be at the weekend.

"You recognise the occasion, it's a semi-final in South Africa against the defending champions. Lads don’t need any extra motivation for that.

"We will play the game