With the first round of the latest Champions Cup in the books, we explore the primary lessons emerging from the weekend's action.
French dominance has been the narrative in recent seasons, with the past five winners all hailing from France's elite division. But, the opening round included a number of convincing performances from emerging challengers.
Bordeaux Seem Ready to Retain Their Crown
Reigning title-holders Bordeaux Begles were imperious in Europe the previous campaign, overpowering Toulouse in the semi-final and afterwards Northampton in the grand finale.
Lying sixth in the domestic standings, doubts have been raised about their chances of defending the accomplishment this year. Yet, in round one, Bordeaux served notice that they are more than capable of securing back-to-back titles with a points-laden triumph on foreign soil in South Africa.
Handed a challenging fixture at a hostile venue against a formidable Bulls side featuring talents like Willie le Roux, Handre Pollard, and Canan Moodie, they were behind 33-22 at the break.
But, true to their champion status, they displayed their class in the second period, storming back to seal a 46-33 victory – keeping the Bulls without a point after the interval.
Les Bleus stars aces Damian Penaud and star wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey both got on the scoresheet. Any outfit with those two on the edges stands a good chance against any competition.
Powerful Bath Seem Poised of A Deep Run
Bath's lone victory in Europe came almost 30 years ago. In the years since, they have probably never been more strongly positioned to secure another title.
The current English champions are leading the way at home after six games and will be aiming to carry that momentum into continental competition – especially after a unexpected elimination last year.
Johann van Graan's team looked a very complete and composed outfit in their 40-14 victory against Munster, who are among the leaders in the Celtic league.
They blend creative spark – sealing the try-scoring point inside 20 minutes at the Rec – with defensive steel, restraining their opponents at a distance when they threatened a dramatic comeback.
With stars such as Finn Russell and Ben Spencer pulling the strings and quality reserves across the roster, they are surely genuine challengers for a first European trophy since 1998.
Bath's defining match in the group stage a year ago came in the following week, an heartbreaking 22-21 setback at Benetton with a changed side.
Now with a domestic championship to their name and top in England once more, Van Graan might decide to place greater emphasis on the Champions Cup this season.
Glasgow Deal Sale a Major Blow
The tournament contains quality outfits throughout the draw, but their section looks set to be one of the most fiercely contested.
In the tournament's current format, a lot is made about winning your home games, which is why Glasgow's away victory at Sale on Friday evening might just prove crucial.
The Scottish side were two scores behind after 20 minutes but responded with character, and two tries early in the second period gave them a precious bonus-point win.
By achieving this, they gave their prospects of qualification a major lift and, in turn, dealt a significant setback to Sale.
With Toulouse – imperious 56-19 conquerors of the Sharks – and Saracens, who brushed aside Clermont, also in the pool, we can expect high-stakes drama.
And regarding Glasgow's old rivals Edinburgh? They turned in one of their top continental showings in years to shock three-time winners Toulon 33-20, on a excellent weekend for rugby in Scotland.
Could Ioane the Key Addition of the Leinster Quest?
Should you pick one side you would expect to be in the mix at the sharp end of the season in Europe, it would be European giants Leinster.
But in recent seasons 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 heavy favourites a year ago after building on a 62-0 rout of Harlequins in the last 16 with a 52-0 destruction over Glasgow in the quarter-final.
It was hoped that New Zealand full-back Jordie Barrett would be the key player to secure the title, but they were surprised and experienced a stunning upset to Northampton Saints in the semi-final.
This season they are trying the All Black experiment again, this time with Rieko Ioane, who provided a key pass on his bow in Saturday's 45-28 victory against Harlequins.
Will Ioane prove to return the cup to Ireland for the first time since 2018?
Stormers Seem Ready to Step Up
Ever since the teams from South Africa became part of the Champions Cup in 2022-23, the deepest run achieved is the quarter-finals, and last year not a single one succeeded in getting out of the pool phase, with several weakened teams fielded.
Could this be the season that changes? The Stormers are leading the URC and started their continental journey with a 26-17 away win at Bayonne on Friday.
The reactions after the game were promising too, with the squad and staff talking about their goals, and the caliber of stars Cobus Reinach, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Damian Willemse absent for the opening victory.
The Stormers look the most likely contender for a South African side to progress far in the competition, yet do not rule out the Sharks and Bulls, who both lost in the opening round but did meet Toulouse and Bordeaux respectively.
Northampton and Pau Produce a Thrilling Contest
There were multiple possibilities for best fixture, and that clash was among the best.
Pau have been experiencing a superb season, led by Argentine internationals Julian Montoya and Facundo Isa and former Wasps scrum-half Dan Robson.
They are right now in second place in the French league and the stadium was buzzing at the Stade du Hameau|their home ground|Pau's
