Connacht’s hopes of reaching the Heineken Champions Cup knockout stages for the first time died in Galway after they were outgunned by French champions Toulouse who finished with 13 men.

Four stunning quarter-finals, three of which were decided by a single score, made for a sensational weekend of Champions Cup rugby.

Leinster qualified for their 11th European Cup semi-final just 36 hours earlier, but a “bizarre mood” hung over the province’s HQ on Monday morning.