Now that the opening salvo of the new season's Champions Cup concluded, we delve into the major talking points stemming from the fixtures.
Top 14 superiority has defined the competition in recent years, with the last five champions all hailing from France's elite division. Yet, the opening round featured a number of statement victories from potential contenders.
Bordeaux Appear Primed to Retain Their Crown
Current holders Bordeaux Begles were imperious in the competition the previous campaign, dismantling Toulouse in the last four and subsequently Northampton in the final.
Lying sixth in the domestic standings, some have suggested about their capacity to retain the title this season. However, in round one, Bordeaux served notice that they are well-positioned of winning back-to-back titles with a points-laden win on the road in South Africa.
Faced with a challenging fixture at Loftus Versfeld against a formidable Bulls side boasting internationals like Willie le Roux, Handre Pollard, and Canan Moodie, they found themselves trailing 33-22 at half-time.
However, as champions do, they displayed their class in the second half, fighting back to seal a 46-33 victory – shutting out the Bulls scoreless after the break.
French try-scoring machines Damian Penaud and World Player of the Year nominee Louis Bielle-Biarrey both got on the scoresheet. Any team with such firepower on the wings is a threat against whoever they face.
Impressive Bath Look Capable of A Deep Run
Bath's only triumph in this competition dates back almost a generation ago. In the years since, they have perhaps not been more strongly positioned to add a second star.
The defending English Premiership champions are top of the pile at home after six games and will be looking to carry that momentum into continental competition – particularly following a shocking early departure last year.
Johann van Graan's men looked a highly composed and composed outfit in their 40-14 victory against Munster, who are highly placed in the URC.
They combine offensive flair – sealing the try-scoring point inside 20 minutes at the Rec – with resolute defending, keeping their opponents at bay when they attempted a fightback.
With stars such as Finn Russell and Ben Spencer in the half-backs and a deep squad all over the team, they must be viewed as serious contenders for a first European trophy since 1998.
Bath's key result in the group stage a year ago occurred in the following week, an agonising 22-21 setback at Benetton with a rotated team.
Having secured a Premiership title in their history and leading domestically again, Van Graan might decide to put a heightened focus on the Champions Cup now.
Glasgow Deal Sale a Tough Start
The tournament contains powerful sides in every pool, but the first group seems destined to be one of the most fiercely contested.
In the existing pool system, a lot is emphasized regarding securing home wins, 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 during the beginning of the second half gave them a all-important five points.
By achieving this, they handed their hopes of advancing a major lift and, conversely, handed a damaging defeat to their opponents.
With the French giants – commanding 56-19 conquerors of the Sharks – and Saracens, who brushed aside Clermont, also in the pool, we should be in for plenty of fireworks.
And as for Glasgow's old rivals Edinburgh? They produced one of their finest displays in Europe in a long time to surprise heavyweights Toulon 33-20, on a fine weekend for Scottish rugby.
Could Ioane the Final Piece of the Leinster Quest?
When considering a contender you would predict to be in the mix at the business end of the season in Europe, it would be four-time winners Leinster.
However 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 last season after building on a 62-0 mauling of Harlequins in the last 16 with a 52-0 demolition over Glasgow in the last eight.
It was hoped that New Zealand full-back Jordie Barrett would be the key player to secure the title, but they were caught out and endured a stunning upset to Northampton Saints in the semi.
This season they are bringing in another Kiwi, this time with Rieko Ioane, who claimed a try assist on his debut in Saturday's 45-28 victory against Harlequins.
Will Ioane prove to bring the trophy back to Ireland for the first occasion since 2018?
Stormers Appear Ready to Step Up
Ever since the teams from South Africa entered the Champions Cup in 2022-23, the furthest any of their teams have got is the last eight, and last year not a single one managed to make it out of the group stage, with plenty of squads not at full strength used.
Will this be the campaign that turns around? The Stormers are first in the URC and started their Champions Cup adventure with a 26-17 victory on the road at Bayonne on Friday.
The words from players and coaches were encouraging too, with individuals involved expressing their aspirations, and the players such as Springboks Cobus Reinach, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Damian Willemse not involved for the opening victory.
The Stormers appear the most likely contender for a team from South Africa to progress far in the competition, although don't count out the Sharks and Bulls, who were defeated in the opening round but did meet the French powerhouses respectively.
The English and French Sides Serve Up a Classic Encounter
There were a few contenders for best fixture, and this one was among the best.
Pau have been having a superb season, led by Pumas Julian Montoya and Facundo Isa and former Wasps scrum-half Dan Robson.
They are right now second in the French league and the crowd was raucous at the Stade du Hameau|their home ground|Pau's
