Now that the first round of the latest Champions Cup wrapped up, we delve into the major talking points highlighted by the games.
Top 14 superiority has defined the competition in the past few campaigns, with the past five winners all calling home France's elite division. Yet, the initial stage showcased a number of statement victories from new contenders.
Bordeaux Appear Primed to Defend Their Title
Reigning title-holders Bordeaux Begles were utterly dominant in Europe the previous campaign, dominating Toulouse in the semi-final and afterwards Northampton in the grand finale.
Positioned sixth in the Top 14, doubts have been raised about their chances of defending the title this season. However, in round one, Bordeaux issued a reminder that they are more than capable of achieving consecutive championships with a free-flowing away victory in South Africa.
Given a challenging fixture at Loftus Versfeld against a strong Bulls side including stars like Willie le Roux, Handre Pollard, and Canan Moodie, they found themselves trailing 33-22 at the interval.
However, true to their champion status, they displayed their class in the final 40 minutes, roaring back to secure a 46-33 victory – holding the Bulls scoreless after the break.
Les Bleus stars phenoms Damian Penaud and World Player of the Year nominee Louis Bielle-Biarrey each crossed the try-line. Any outfit with such firepower on the wings stands a good chance against any competition.
Formidable Bath Appear Equipped of Challenging for the Title
Bath's lone victory in Europe dates back almost 30 years ago. Throughout the ensuing period, they have perhaps 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 continental competition – particularly following a shocking early departure the previous season.
Johann van Graan's men looked a highly composed and polished team in their 40-14 defeat of Munster, who are among the leaders in the URC.
They marry offensive flair – securing the try-scoring point within 20 minutes at the Rec – with resolute defending, holding their opponents at a distance when they threatened a late rally.
With stars such as Finn Russell and Ben Spencer in the half-backs and a deep squad across the roster, 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 defeat at Benetton with a squad players.
Having secured a league trophy to their name and top domestically again, Van Graan might decide to concentrate more effort on the Champions Cup now.
Glasgow Hand Sale a Significant Setback
There are strong teams everywhere you look, but their section looks set to be one of the tightest.
In the tournament's current format, a lot is made about victories on your own turf, which is why Glasgow's away victory at Sale on the first day might just prove crucial.
The team from Scotland were 14-0 down after 20 minutes but fought back impressively, and two tries at the start of the second half gave them a all-important maximum haul.
By achieving this, they handed their hopes of advancing a major lift and, by contrast, handed a hefty blow to their opponents.
With Toulouse – commanding 56-19 conquerors of 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 old rivals Edinburgh? They turned in one of their finest displays in Europe in recent memory to surprise former champions Toulon 33-20, on a fine weekend for Scottish rugby.
Is Ioane the Final Piece of the Leinster Quest?
Should you pick one side you would expect to be there or thereabouts at the later stages of the season in Europe, it would be multiple champions Leinster.
However in recent campaigns it has ended in disappointment, as they have been favourites but fallen short. Beaten finalists three years in a row between 2022-24, they looked the team to beat the previous campaign after following up a 62-0 mauling of Harlequins in the last 16 with a 52-0 demolition over Glasgow in the quarter-final.
It was hoped that Kiwi international Jordie Barrett would be the missing ingredient to secure the title, but they were caught out and endured a surprise defeat to Northampton Saints in the semi.
This year they are trying the All Black experiment again, this time with Rieko Ioane, who claimed a try assist on his debut in Saturday's 45-28 win over Harlequins.
Is Ioane the man to secure European glory to Ireland for the first occasion since 2018?
Stormers Appear Equipped to Compete
Since the South African sides joined the Champions Cup in 2022-23, the deepest run achieved is the quarter-finals, and in the last campaign not a single one was able to progress out of the group stage, with plenty of weakened teams used.
Will this be the campaign that turns around? The Stormers are leading the URC and began their Champions Cup adventure with a 26-17 away win at Bayonne on the opening night.
The post-match comments were encouraging too, with individuals involved expressing their ambition, and the likes of South African internationals Cobus Reinach, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Damian Willemse unavailable for the first match.
The Stormers appear the most likely contender for a team from South Africa to go deep into the tournament, although don't count out the Sharks and Bulls, who both lost in the opening round but did face formidable opponents respectively.
The English and French Sides Serve Up a Thrilling Contest
There were multiple possibilities for match of the round, and that clash was right up there.
Pau have been enjoying a superb season, led by stars Julian Montoya and Facundo Isa and former Wasps scrum-half Dan Robson.
They are right now in second place in the French championship and the crowd was raucous at the Stade du Hameau|their home ground|Pau's
