Following the first round of the latest Champions Cup wrapped up, we explore the primary lessons stemming from the games.
French dominance has ruled the roost in recent seasons, with the past five winners all calling home France's elite division. However, the opening round included a number of statement victories from emerging rivals.
Bordeaux Seem Ready to Retain Their Crown
Defending champions Bordeaux Begles were a class apart in this tournament a year ago, dismantling Toulouse in the semi-final and then Northampton in the final.
Positioned sixth in the domestic standings, some have suggested about their chances of defending the feat this season. However, in their opener, Bordeaux sent a message that they are well-positioned of achieving consecutive championships with a points-laden away victory in South Africa.
Handed a difficult tie at a hostile venue against a powerful Bulls side including stars like Willie le Roux, Handre Pollard, and Canan Moodie, they were behind 33-22 at half-time.
However, as champions do, they unleashed their power in the second period, storming back to seal a 46-33 victory – shutting out the Bulls without a point after the interval.
Les Bleus stars machines Damian Penaud and global award contender Louis Bielle-Biarrey were among the try-scorers. Any side with that pair on the wings stands a good chance against whoever they face.
Powerful Bath Look Capable of A Deep Run
Bath's sole success in the Champions Cup came almost 30 years ago. Throughout the ensuing period, they have arguably not been more prepared to secure another title.
The reigning domestic title-holders are setting the pace domestically after six games and will be aiming to carry that momentum into the Champions Cup – especially after a shocking early departure in the last campaign.
Johann van Graan's men looked a highly composed and composed outfit in their 40-14 defeat of Munster, who are among the leaders in the Celtic league.
They blend creative spark – sealing the try-scoring point in under 20 minutes at the Rec – with defensive steel, holding their opponents at arm's length when they threatened a dramatic comeback.
With the likes of Finn Russell and Ben Spencer in the half-backs and a deep squad all over the team, they must be viewed as serious contenders for a continental title since 1998.
Bath's pivotal moment in the initial phase last season was in the next fixture, an heartbreaking 22-21 defeat at Benetton with a rotated team.
After winning a league trophy under their belt and setting the pace domestically again, Van Graan could be inclined to put a heightened focus on the Champions Cup this season.
Glasgow Hand Sale a Tough Start
The tournament contains strong teams throughout the draw, but Pool One appears poised to be one of the tightest.
In the existing pool system, a lot is made about winning your home games, which is why Glasgow's triumph at an opponent's ground at Sale on Friday evening might just be pivotal.
The Scottish side were trailing by 14 points after 20 minutes but responded with character, and two tries at the start of the second half gave them a precious five points.
With this result, they gave their chances of progressing a significant early boost and, by contrast, inflicted a significant setback to the Sharks.
With Toulouse – dominant 56-19 winners against the Sharks – and Saracens, who easily overcame Clermont, in the same section, we are likely to see plenty of fireworks.
And as for Glasgow's traditional foes Edinburgh? They delivered one of their finest displays in Europe in a long time to shock former champions Toulon 33-20, on a excellent weekend for Scottish rugby.
Will Ioane Be the Missing Ingredient of the Leinster Puzzle?
If there's one team you would fancy to be there or thereabouts at the sharp end of the season in Europe, it would be four-time winners Leinster.
Yet in recent campaigns it has ended in disappointment, as they have shown great potential but not won the trophy. Runners-up three years in a row between 2022-24, they looked the team to beat a year ago after building on a 62-0 rout of Harlequins in the round of 16 with a 52-0 win over Glasgow in the quarter-final.
It was believed that New Zealand full-back Jordie Barrett would be the final piece to take them over the line, but they were caught out and suffered a shock loss to Northampton Saints in the semi-final.
This season they are testing another New Zealand import, this time with Rieko Ioane, who provided a scoring pass on his first appearance in Saturday's 45-28 win over Harlequins.
Will Ioane prove to bring the trophy back to Ireland for the first time since 2018?
Stormers Look Ready to Step Up
Since the South African sides entered the Champions Cup in 2022-23, the furthest any of their teams have got is the last eight, and last year not a single one succeeded in getting out of the pool phase, with often squads not at full strength used.
Is this the year that turns around? The Stormers are top of the URC and began their continental journey with a 26-17 victory on the road at Bayonne on Friday.
The reactions after the game were encouraging too, with players and coaches expressing their aspirations, and the likes of Springboks Cobus Reinach, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Damian Willemse unavailable for the round-one win.
The Stormers appear the strongest candidate for a SA franchise to have a long run in the competition, although write off the Sharks and Bulls, who each suffered defeat this weekend but did face Toulouse and Bordeaux respectively.
Saints and Pau Produce a Classic Encounter
There were several candidates for best fixture, and this one was right up there.
Pau have been experiencing a brilliant campaign, guided by Argentine internationals Julian Montoya and Facundo Isa and former Wasps scrum-half Dan Robson.
They are right now runner-up in the French league and the stadium was buzzing at the Stade du Hameau|their home ground|Pau's
