Smiles all round from happy Lam

It was one of the biggest wins in Heineken Cup history and one of the biggest shocks of the sporting year.

So when Connacht coach Pat Lam emerged from the Stade Ernest Wallon dressing-room, with a smile beaming from ear to ear, and talks of a possible place in the Heineken Cup quarter-finals, you know you’ve witnessed something very special.

Now within a point of top spot in Pool 3 – held by Toulouse and Saracens – with three games, two of them at home, to play the mood in the Connacht camp is boisterous.