With the opening salvo of the new season's Champions Cup in the books, we delve into the primary lessons stemming from the fixtures.
Gallic supremacy has defined the competition in recent years, with the past five winners all hailing from France's elite division. Yet, the initial stage showcased a number of statement victories from potential rivals.
Bordeaux Appear Primed to Defend Their Title
Reigning title-holders Bordeaux Begles were utterly dominant in this tournament the previous campaign, dismantling Toulouse in the semi-final and subsequently Northampton in the grand finale.
Positioned sixth in the domestic standings, some have suggested about their capacity to retain the title now. Yet, in round one, Bordeaux issued a reminder that they are well-positioned of securing back-to-back titles with a high-scoring win on the road in South Africa.
Given a challenging fixture at Loftus Versfeld against a powerful Bulls side featuring stars like Willie le Roux, Handre Pollard, and Canan Moodie, they went into the break down 33-22 at half-time.
Yet, true to their champion status, they displayed their class in the final 40 minutes, roaring back to seal a 46-33 victory – keeping the Bulls scoreless after the break.
France international aces Damian Penaud and star wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey both got on the scoresheet. Any team with that pair on the wings stands a good chance against any competition.
Formidable Bath Appear Equipped of Challenging for the Title
Bath's sole success in this competition came almost three decades ago. Since that time, they have perhaps not been more strongly positioned to win it again.
The defending English Premiership champions are setting the pace domestically after six games and will be aiming to translate that form into the Champions Cup – particularly following a surprise group-stage exit the previous season.
Johann van Graan's side looked a very complete and composed outfit in their 40-14 defeat of Munster, who are highly placed in the Celtic league.
They blend creative spark – sealing the try-scoring point within 20 minutes at the Rec – with resolute defending, holding their guests at bay when they threatened a dramatic comeback.
With stars such as Finn Russell and Ben Spencer directing play and a deep squad all over the roster, they must be viewed as credible threats for a maiden Champions Cup since 1998.
Bath's pivotal moment in the group stage the previous year occurred in the second round, an narrow 22-21 loss at Benetton with a changed side.
Having secured a league trophy in their history and leading in England once more, Van Graan might decide to place greater emphasis on the Champions Cup this year.
Glasgow Hand Sale a Major Blow
The tournament contains powerful sides throughout the draw, but their section seems destined to be one of the most competitive.
In the competition's present structure, a lot is said about victories on your own turf, which is why Glasgow's away victory at Sale on the opening night might just prove crucial.
The Scottish side were two scores behind after 20 minutes but came back strongly, and two tries early in the second half gave them a precious five points.
In doing so, they provided their chances of progressing a major lift and, by contrast, inflicted a damaging defeat to the Sharks.
With Toulouse – imperious 56-19 victors over the Sharks – and Saracens, who comfortably defeated Clermont, also in the pool, we are likely to see plenty of fireworks.
And what of Glasgow's old rivals Edinburgh? They produced one of their best European performances in years to surprise heavyweights Toulon 33-20, on a fine weekend for the Scottish game.
Could Ioane the Missing Ingredient of the Leinster Quest?
If there's one team you would fancy to be challenging at the later stages of the season in Europe, it would be four-time winners Leinster.
Yet in recent seasons it hasn't gone to plan, as they have shown great potential but fallen short. Runners-up three years in a row between 2022-24, they looked overwhelming favourites last season after following up a 62-0 rout of Harlequins in the last 16 with a 52-0 demolition over Glasgow in the quarter-final.
It was thought that Kiwi international Jordie Barrett would be the missing ingredient to win the championship, but they were surprised and suffered a stunning upset to Northampton Saints in the last four.
This year they are testing another New Zealand import, this time with Rieko Ioane, who provided a try assist on his debut in Saturday's 45-28 victory against Harlequins.
Could Ioane be the player to return the cup to Ireland for the first time since 2018?
Stormers Seem Ready to Step Up
From the moment the SA franchises became part of the Champions Cup in 2022-23, the best performance by any of them is the quarter-finals, and in the last campaign none of them succeeded in getting out of the group stage, with plenty of rotated sides used.
Could this be the season that changes? The Stormers are first in the URC and began their European campaign with a 26-17 triumph in France at Bayonne on the opening night.
The words from players and coaches were encouraging too, with players and coaches talking about their aspirations, and the likes of Springboks Cobus Reinach, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Damian Willemse unavailable for the opening victory.
The Stormers appear the most likely contender for a team from South Africa to go deep into the tournament, but write off the Sharks and Bulls, who each suffered defeat this weekend but did play the French powerhouses respectively.
Saints and Pau Serve Up a Classic Encounter
There were several candidates for best fixture, and this one was among the best.
Pau have been enjoying a superb campaign, guided by stars Julian Montoya and Facundo Isa and veteran playmaker Dan Robson.
They are presently second in the French championship and the crowd was raucous at the Stade du Hameau|their home ground|Pau's
