For the second season running, reigning URC champions Leinster will be the sole Irish province left standing in next Saturday’s semi-finals when they host the Stormers at the Aviva Stadium (kick-off 5.30pm).However, Leo Cullen admitted their 59-10 quarter-final mauling of the Lions last Saturday had not healed the wounds inflicted by the 41-19 Champions Cup final defeat against Bordeaux Bègles seven days previously in Bilbao.Cullen dedicated a relatively long period of time to addressing the subject of positive and negative pressures, with specific references to the “toxic” nature of social media, Cullen admitted: “You’re devastated when it doesn’t work out. All you can do is dust yourself off and show what type of character you are and get ready for the next challenge.“Because the group worked hard during the course of our domestic season, we had a home quarter-final to look forward to and now, off the back of finishing second, we have a home semi-final to look forward to.“Does it repair losing another Champions League final? Of course it doesn’t. Will people come after us for losing? Yes, they will. What can we do other than just keep putting ourselves back in that situation again.”The Stormers – URC winners in 2022 – will most likely be missing gifted Springboks outhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who injured his ankle when scoring a try in their 44-21 win at home to Cardiff and afterwards was on crutches.Winger Seabelo Senatla has also been ruled out due to a head injury while there are concerns over lock Ruben van Heerden (concussion) and centre Dan du Plessis (knee).Cullen refused to discuss James Lowe’s future after the winger broke Shane Horgan’s all-time record for the province when his late brace of trademark tries took his tally to 71. Lowe reached the record on his 100th cap.Leinster's James Lowe touches down during Leinster's comprehensive URC quarter-final victory against Lions at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho “No, that’s James’s job. James will be the one who will talk about his own business,” Cullen told Premier Sports, who interviewed Lowe post-match but did not ask him about his future.Lowe is seemingly set to move to Japan instead of accepting an apparently derisory new contract after nine seasons with Leinster, the last six of which has seen him play 45 times for Ireland. Remarkably, though, Lowe has never been centrally contracted.Cullen and Andy Farrell had both said they wanted him to stay, while Lowe described the next World Cup as his “north star”. However, the Union were seemingly unwilling to offer a top-up to him as a Poni (player of national interest), as they had done with Peter O’Mahony and Conor Murray.Strung along until the end of the season, the saga is an utterly appalling way to treat a player whose two children were born in Ireland, who has been granted Irish citizenship and had expressed his desire to continue living here with his wife Arnica after retirement. If he does depart, this would be an awful look for Irish rugby and bad business ahead of a World Cup.Under the IRFU’s changed contractual system, from next season the provinces will have to increase their contribution towards central contracts from 30 per cent to 40 per cent.“Of course, it will have an effect because it’s a decent chunk,” said Cullen, who will lose Ciarán Frawley, Will Connors and Jerry Cahir (all to Connacht), Rabah Slimani (Toulon), Luke McGrath (Perpignan), Rieko Ioane (Blues) and John McKee (Scarlets).“For Leinster, it’s a challenge because you’re trying to bring your own players through and every year there’s a bit of that churn. Every year, you lose a level of experience because players move for different reasons.“It is the same every year, to be fair, because we’re always bringing in young academy guys. We would like things done because we’re trying to produce players to play for Leinster, to play for Ireland, but some of the other provinces – where are they looking to recruit?Gavin Coombes and Fineen Wycherley after Munster's URC quarter-final defeat to Bulls at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, South Africa. Photograph: Steve Haag Sports/Darren Stewart/Inpho “Obviously Stuart [Lancaster] has got rid of some Connacht legends and he’s replaced them with some Leinster guys. You’d prefer for him to keep his own Connacht players and we’d keep our own Leinster players, but unfortunately that’s not the way it works. It’s a competitive marketplace.“We just have to make sure we do as much as we can with the environment so that lads want to stay.”Meanwhile, Clayton McMillan admitted Munster’s season had been “a mixed bag” after their 45-14 loss to the Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday afternoon.“We didn’t play to the level that we know we’re capable of playing today, regardless of who put the jersey on,” he said. “You can accept losing against good sides, but when you don’t put your best foot forward, that’s the bit that hurts.”Lancaster felt “a combination of disappointment and pride” after Connacht’s injury-ravaged 33-21 loss to Glasgow in Scotstoun last Friday night, when his side also came up against some bad officiating.“I was disappointed in the outcome, but huge pride in the performance,“ said the Connacht head coach. ”We picked up so many little injuries or setbacks within the game, but we still stayed in the fight against a quality team at home and we pushed them to the wire.“An amazing season when we reflect back on it. We’ll allow the players five weeks but I’ll be back ready to go in mid-July and then we’ll rip in and build on foundations with some great new players arriving and another year’s experience under our belt.”