Now that the opening salvo of the new season's Champions Cup wrapped up, we delve into the major talking points emerging from the fixtures.
French dominance has defined the competition in recent years, with the last five champions all hailing from France's top flight. But, the first weekend featured a number of statement victories from new contenders.
Bordeaux Look Set to Go Back-to-Back
Defending champions Bordeaux Begles were imperious in the competition a year ago, dismantling Toulouse in the semi-final and then Northampton in the grand finale.
Lying sixth in the French league, doubts have been raised about their ability to repeat the title now. Yet, in the first round, Bordeaux issued a reminder that they are well-positioned of achieving back-to-back titles with a free-flowing away victory in South Africa.
Faced with a difficult tie at Loftus Versfeld against a powerful Bulls side boasting stars like Willie le Roux, Handre Pollard, and Canan Moodie, they were behind 33-22 at the interval.
Yet, demonstrating their pedigree, they showed their quality in the second half, fighting back to secure a 46-33 victory – shutting out the Bulls scoreless after the interval.
Les Bleus stars machines Damian Penaud and star wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey both got on the scoresheet. Any team with that pair on the flanks stands a good chance against any competition.
Impressive Bath Seem Poised of A Deep Run
Bath's sole success in this competition was almost three decades ago. Throughout the ensuing period, they have arguably not been better equipped to win it again.
The defending English Premiership champions are top of the pile in the league after six games and will be looking to translate that form into the Champions Cup – particularly following a unexpected elimination the previous season.
Johann van Graan's side looked a extremely well-rounded and polished team in their 40-14 win over Munster, who are third in the URC.
They blend creative spark – securing the bonus point in under 20 minutes at the Rec – with defensive steel, keeping their guests at a distance when they looked like mounting a late rally.
With players including Finn Russell and Ben Spencer in the half-backs and quality reserves across the roster, they are surely serious contenders for a continental title since 1998.
Bath's defining match in the initial phase last season was in the second round, an heartbreaking 22-21 loss at Benetton with a changed side.
Now with a Premiership title to their name and top the home league, Van Graan could be inclined to concentrate more effort on the Champions Cup this year.
Glasgow Deal Sale a Major Blow
The tournament contains strong teams throughout the draw, but their section seems destined to be one of the most competitive.
In the competition's present structure, a lot is said about victories on your own turf, which is why Glasgow's win on the road at Sale on the first day might just turn out to be vital.
The Scottish side were 14-0 down after 20 minutes but came back strongly, and two tries during the beginning of the second period gave them a all-important five points.
By achieving this, they gave their hopes of advancing a positive start and, in turn, dealt a significant setback to Sale.
With Toulouse – imperious 56-19 victors over the Sharks – and Saracens, who brushed aside Clermont, in the same section, we are likely to see high-stakes drama.
And what of Glasgow's Scottish counterparts Edinburgh? They turned in one of their top continental showings in recent memory to shock heavyweights Toulon 33-20, on a fine weekend for Scottish rugby.
Is Ioane the Missing Ingredient of the Leinster Jigsaw?
When considering a contender you would predict to be in the mix at the sharp end of the continental campaign, it would be four-time winners Leinster.
But in recent campaigns it hasn't gone to plan, as they have been favourites but fallen short. Runners-up three years in a row between 2022-24, they looked the team to beat last season after building on a 62-0 rout of Harlequins in the last 16 with a 52-0 demolition over Glasgow in the last eight.
It was thought that New Zealand full-back Jordie Barrett would be the key player to take them over the line, but they were caught out and suffered a shock loss to Northampton Saints in the semi.
Now they are testing another New Zealand import, this time with Rieko Ioane, who provided a scoring pass on his bow in Saturday's 45-28 victory against Harlequins.
Is Ioane the man to secure European glory 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 quarter-finals, and last year not a single one managed to make it out of the pool phase, with several squads not at full strength fielded.
Could this be the season that is different? The Stormers are top of the URC and kicked off their European campaign with a 26-17 away win at Bayonne on Friday.
The words from players and coaches were encouraging too, with individuals involved talking about their aspirations, 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 progress far in the competition, yet write off the Sharks and Bulls, who each suffered defeat this weekend but did face Toulouse and Bordeaux respectively.
Northampton and Pau Deliver a Thrilling Contest
There were a few contenders for best fixture, and that clash was among the best.
Pau have been experiencing a outstanding season, spearheaded by Argentine internationals Julian Montoya and Facundo Isa and former Wasps scrum-half Dan Robson.
They are right now runner-up in the French championship and the stadium was buzzing at the Stade du Hameau|their home ground|Pau's
