With the opening salvo of the latest Champions Cup in the books, we delve into the major talking points emerging from the games.
Gallic supremacy has defined the competition in recent seasons, with the past five winners all representing France's elite division. But, the initial stage included multiple statement victories from potential contenders.
Bordeaux Look Set to Defend Their Title
Defending champions Bordeaux Begles were a class apart in this tournament a year ago, dismantling Toulouse in the last four and then Northampton in the final.
Positioned sixth in the domestic standings, some have suggested about their capacity to retain the title now. However, in their opener, Bordeaux served notice that they are more than capable of securing back-to-back titles with a points-laden away victory in South Africa.
Faced with a challenging fixture at Loftus Versfeld against a strong Bulls side including talents like Willie le Roux, Handre Pollard, and Canan Moodie, they went into the break down 33-22 at the interval.
However, demonstrating their pedigree, they unleashed their power in the second half, fighting back to seal a 46-33 victory – holding the Bulls without a point after the halftime.
Les Bleus stars machines Damian Penaud and World Player of the Year nominee Louis Bielle-Biarrey both got on the scoresheet. Any team with such firepower on the edges stands a good chance against whoever they face.
Impressive Bath Look Capable of Challenging for the Title
Bath's only triumph in this competition dates back almost a generation ago. Since that time, they have arguably not been better equipped to add a second star.
The current English champions are top of the pile at home after six games and will be looking to transfer that success into continental competition – on the back of a surprise group-stage exit in the last campaign.
Johann van Graan's men looked a highly composed and polished team in their 40-14 defeat of Munster, who are highly placed in the URC.
They marry attacking verve – securing the bonus point within 20 minutes at the Rec – with resolute defending, holding their guests at arm's length when they looked like mounting a fightback.
With the likes of Finn Russell and Ben Spencer pulling the strings and a deep squad throughout the squad, they have to be considered serious contenders for a first European trophy since 1998.
Bath's defining match in the pools last season came in the next fixture, an agonising 22-21 defeat at Benetton with a changed side.
After winning a league trophy to their name and setting the pace in England once more, Van Graan might decide to put a heightened focus on the Champions Cup now.
Glasgow Hand Sale a Significant Setback
The tournament contains powerful sides in every pool, but the first group looks set to be one of the most fiercely contested.
In the competition's present structure, a lot is made about victories on your own turf, which is why Glasgow's win on the road at Sale on the first day might just be pivotal.
The team from Scotland were trailing by 14 points after 20 minutes but came back strongly, and two tries at the start of the second half gave them a precious five points.
By achieving this, they handed their chances of progressing a positive start and, conversely, handed a damaging defeat to their opponents.
With Toulouse – imperious 56-19 winners against the Sharks – and Saracens, who easily overcame Clermont, also in the pool, we should be in for plenty of fireworks.
And what of Glasgow's old rivals Edinburgh? They produced one of their finest displays in Europe in years to stun former champions Toulon 33-20, on a successful weekend for the Scottish game.
Could Ioane the Key Addition of the Leinster Puzzle?
Should you pick one side you would predict to be in the mix at the sharp end of the continental campaign, it would be European giants Leinster.
However in recent seasons it has not worked out, as they have shown great potential but not won the trophy. Beaten finalists three years in a row between 2022-24, they looked heavy favourites a year ago after backing up a 62-0 rout of Harlequins in the last 16 with a 52-0 destruction over Glasgow in the last eight.
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 semi.
This season they are trying the All Black experiment again, this time with Rieko Ioane, who registered a try assist on his debut in Saturday's 45-28 win over Harlequins.
Is Ioane the man to return the cup to Ireland for the first time since 2018?
Stormers Seem Prepared to Challenge
Since the South African sides joined the Champions Cup in 2022-23, the furthest any of their teams have got is the quarter-finals, and in the last campaign not a single one managed to make it out of the pool phase, with often rotated sides selected.
Will this be the campaign that changes? The Stormers are top of the URC and began their Champions Cup adventure with a 26-17 victory on the road at Bayonne on Friday.
The post-match comments were encouraging too, with players and coaches speaking of their ambition, and the players such as Springboks Cobus Reinach, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Damian Willemse not involved for the opening victory.
The Stormers look the strongest candidate for a SA franchise to progress far in the competition, yet do not rule out the Sharks and Bulls, who were defeated in their first games but did meet the French powerhouses respectively.
The English and French Sides Serve Up a Thrilling Contest
There were several candidates for best fixture, and this one was among the best.
Pau have been having a brilliant campaign, led by stars Julian Montoya and Facundo Isa and former Wasps scrum-half Dan Robson.
They are right now runner-up in the Top 14 and the atmosphere was electric at the Stade du Hameau|their home ground|Pau's
