Now that the opening salvo of the latest Champions Cup wrapped up, we delve into the key revelations emerging from the games.
Top 14 superiority has ruled the roost in recent years, with the last five champions all calling home France's top flight. However, the opening round showcased a number of convincing performances from potential challengers.
Bordeaux Look Set to Retain Their Crown
Reigning title-holders Bordeaux Begles were a class apart in this tournament the previous campaign, dismantling Toulouse in the semi-final and then Northampton in the showpiece.
Positioned sixth in the French league, some have suggested about their ability to repeat the title this season. But, in their opener, Bordeaux issued a reminder that they are more than capable of securing back-to-back titles with a points-laden win on the road in South Africa.
Given a challenging fixture at the Bulls' fortress against a powerful Bulls side including internationals like Willie le Roux, Handre Pollard, and Canan Moodie, they found themselves trailing 33-22 at the interval.
But, as champions do, they displayed their class in the final 40 minutes, fighting back to claim a 46-33 victory – keeping the Bulls to zero after the break.
French try-scoring aces Damian Penaud and World Player of the Year nominee Louis Bielle-Biarrey were among the try-scorers. Any outfit with such firepower on the wings is a threat against any competition.
Impressive Bath Seem Poised of Challenging for the Title
Bath's sole success in Europe came almost 30 years ago. Since that time, they have arguably not been better equipped to win it again.
The defending English Premiership champions are setting the pace domestically after six games and will be looking to transfer that success into the Champions Cup – on the back of a surprise group-stage exit in the last campaign.
Johann van Graan's team looked a very complete and balanced unit in their 40-14 win over Munster, who are among the leaders in the Celtic league.
They marry creative spark – earning the bonus point inside 20 minutes at the Rec – with resolute defending, keeping their guests at bay when they attempted a fightback.
With stars such as Finn Russell and Ben Spencer directing play and quality reserves throughout the roster, they must be viewed as serious contenders for a continental title since 1998.
Bath's key result in the group stage a year ago came in the next fixture, an agonising 22-21 setback at Benetton with a rotated team.
Now with a domestic championship to their name and setting the pace the home league, Van Graan might decide to put a heightened focus on the Champions Cup now.
Glasgow Hand Sale a Tough Start
The tournament contains powerful sides in every pool, but Pool One appears poised to be one of the tightest.
In the tournament's current format, a lot is emphasized regarding victories on your own turf, which is why Glasgow's away victory at Sale on the first day might just be pivotal.
The Glasgow Warriors were 14-0 down after 20 minutes but responded with character, and two tries early in the second period gave them a valuable five points.
In doing so, they provided their prospects of qualification a major lift and, conversely, dealt a damaging defeat to the Sharks.
With the French giants – imperious 56-19 winners against the Sharks – and Saracens, who comfortably defeated Clermont, sharing the group, we should be in for plenty of fireworks.
And what of Glasgow's traditional foes Edinburgh? They delivered one of their finest displays in Europe in recent memory to stun three-time winners Toulon 33-20, on a excellent weekend for rugby in Scotland.
Is Ioane the Final Piece of the Leinster Quest?
When considering a contender you would predict to be challenging at the sharp end of the season in Europe, it would be European giants Leinster.
However in recent campaigns it has not worked out, as they have shown great potential 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 mauling of Harlequins in the round of 16 with a 52-0 win over Glasgow in the last eight.
It was thought that New Zealand full-back Jordie Barrett would be the key player to win the championship, but they were caught out and suffered a stunning upset to Northampton Saints in the last four.
This season they are trying the All Black experiment again, this time with Rieko Ioane, who claimed a key pass 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 Look Equipped to Compete
Ever since the teams from South Africa joined the Champions Cup in 2022-23, the best performance by any of them is the last eight, and the previous season none of them managed to make it out of the pool phase, with several weakened teams used.
Will this be the campaign that changes? The Stormers are first in the URC and began their European campaign with a 26-17 triumph in France at Bayonne on Friday.
The reactions after the game were encouraging too, with individuals involved talking about their aspirations, and the caliber of South African internationals Cobus Reinach, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Damian Willemse unavailable for the opening victory.
The Stormers seem the best bet for a SA franchise to have a long run in the competition, but do not rule out the Sharks and Bulls, who both lost in the opening round but did face the French powerhouses respectively.
Saints and Pau Serve Up a Classic Encounter
There were a few contenders for best fixture, and the Northampton vs. Pau game was a leading candidate.
Pau have been enjoying a outstanding campaign, spearheaded by stars Julian Montoya and Facundo Isa and ex-England half-back Dan Robson.
They are right now second in the French championship and the stadium was buzzing at the Stade du Hameau|their home ground|Pau's
