Following the opening salvo of the new season's Champions Cup in the books, we examine the key revelations emerging from the games.
French dominance has defined the competition in the past few campaigns, with the previous five victors all representing France's top flight. However, the first weekend featured a number of impressive wins from new contenders.
Bordeaux Appear Primed to Go Back-to-Back
Reigning title-holders Bordeaux Begles were a class apart in this tournament the previous campaign, dismantling Toulouse in the last four and subsequently Northampton in the grand finale.
Currently sitting sixth in the domestic standings, questions have been asked about their chances of defending the feat now. But, in their opener, Bordeaux served notice that they are fully equipped of securing another trophy with a free-flowing win on the road in South Africa.
Faced with a difficult tie at the Bulls' fortress against a formidable Bulls side boasting talents 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 half, storming back to secure a 46-33 victory – holding the Bulls to zero after the halftime.
Les Bleus stars aces Damian Penaud and global award contender Louis Bielle-Biarrey were among the try-scorers. Any team with that pair on the wings is a threat against whoever they face.
Impressive Bath Seem Poised of A Deep Run
Bath's sole success in this competition came almost a generation ago. Since that time, they have probably never been more prepared to add a second star.
The current English champions are leading the way in the league after six games and will be aiming to translate that form into Europe – especially after a shocking early departure in the last campaign.
Johann van Graan's side looked a extremely well-rounded and polished team in their 40-14 victory against Munster, who are among the leaders in the United Rugby Championship.
They marry creative spark – securing the bonus point within 20 minutes at the Rec – with resolute defending, keeping their opponents at a distance when they threatened a fightback.
With stars such as Finn Russell and Ben Spencer in the half-backs and a deep squad across the team, they must be viewed as serious contenders for a first European trophy since 1998.
Bath's defining match in the pools the previous year came in the second round, an heartbreaking 22-21 loss at Benetton with a changed side.
Now with a domestic championship to their name and setting the pace domestically again, Van Graan might decide to put a heightened focus on the Champions Cup now.
Glasgow Hand Sale a Major Blow
The tournament contains powerful sides everywhere you look, but the first group seems destined to be one of the most fiercely contested.
In the competition's present structure, a lot is said about securing home wins, which is why Glasgow's away victory at Sale on the first day might just prove crucial.
The Glasgow Warriors were trailing by 14 points after 20 minutes but fought back impressively, and two tries early in the second half gave them a valuable maximum haul.
With this result, they provided their hopes of advancing a significant early boost and, by contrast, inflicted a damaging defeat to the Sharks.
With the red and blacks – dominant 56-19 winners against the Sharks – and Saracens, who easily overcame Clermont, in the same section, we can expect plenty of fireworks.
And what of Glasgow's Scottish counterparts Edinburgh? They turned in one of their top continental showings in a long time to shock three-time winners Toulon 33-20, on a fine weekend for the Scottish game.
Is Ioane the Missing Ingredient of the Leinster Puzzle?
When considering a contender you would expect to be challenging at the later stages of the season in Europe, it would be European giants Leinster.
Yet in recent campaigns it has not worked out, as they have promised much but fallen short. Runners-up three years in a row between 2022-24, they looked overwhelming favourites the previous campaign after building on a 62-0 rout of Harlequins in the round of 16 with a 52-0 win over Glasgow in the last eight.
It was hoped that All Black star Jordie Barrett would be the key player to win the championship, but they were ambushed and experienced a surprise defeat to Northampton Saints in the semi-final.
Now they are trying the All Black experiment again, this time with Rieko Ioane, who provided a try assist on his first appearance in Saturday's 45-28 win over Harlequins.
Could Ioane be the player to return the cup to Ireland for the first time since 2018?
Stormers Appear Prepared to Challenge
Ever since the teams from South Africa entered the Champions Cup in 2022-23, the deepest run achieved is the last eight, and last year no South African side was able to progress out of the pool phase, with several squads not at full strength selected.
Could this be the season that turns around? The Stormers are top of the URC and kicked off their continental journey with a 26-17 away win at Bayonne on the opening night.
The post-match comments were positive too, with individuals involved speaking of their ambition, and the caliber of South African internationals Cobus Reinach, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Damian Willemse absent for the opening victory.
The Stormers look the best bet for a SA franchise to go deep into the competition, yet do not rule out the Sharks and Bulls, who were defeated in their first games but did meet formidable opponents respectively.
Saints and Pau Serve Up a Thrilling Contest
There were multiple possibilities for game of the weekend, and that clash was right up there.
Pau have been enjoying a superb season, spearheaded by stars Julian Montoya and Facundo Isa and veteran playmaker Dan Robson.
They are currently second in the Top 14 and the atmosphere was electric at the Stade du Hameau|their home ground|Pau's
