Donal Lenihan: Thomond theatre and thunder but Saracens the ones left smiling

Ireland’s so-called ‘green sweep’ on the opening weekend of the Heineken Champions Cup was always unlikely to be replicated in Round 2 given the quality of the French opposition for the Irish quartet.

Ulster set a positive note on Friday night in Belfast with an excellent win over Clermont Auvergne while, once again, an understrength Connacht side defied the odds to produce a brilliant, if ultimately unsuccessful, performance in defeat away to Toulouse.