Following the initial matches of the new season's Champions Cup wrapped up, we examine the primary lessons stemming from the fixtures.
Gallic supremacy has been the narrative in recent seasons, with the previous five victors all hailing from France's elite division. Yet, the first weekend included a number of impressive wins from new contenders.
Bordeaux Appear Primed to Go Back-to-Back
Current holders Bordeaux Begles were utterly dominant in Europe a year ago, overpowering Toulouse in the semi-final and then Northampton in the grand finale.
Positioned sixth in the French league, questions have been asked about their chances of defending the feat this year. Yet, in the first round, Bordeaux issued a reminder that they are more than capable of securing back-to-back titles with a points-laden away victory in South Africa.
Faced with a tough assignment at the Bulls' fortress against a strong Bulls side featuring talents like Willie le Roux, Handre Pollard, and Canan Moodie, they went into the break down 33-22 at half-time.
Yet, true to their champion status, they showed their quality in the second half, roaring back to claim a 46-33 victory – keeping the Bulls to zero after the halftime.
Les Bleus stars phenoms Damian Penaud and global award contender Louis Bielle-Biarrey each crossed the try-line. Any side with that pair on the edges is a threat against any competition.
Powerful Bath Look Capable of Going the Distance
Bath's only triumph in the Champions Cup was almost 30 years ago. Since that time, they have probably never been more strongly positioned to add a second star.
The current English champions are top of the pile in the league after six games and will be hoping to translate that form into the Champions Cup – on the back of a surprise group-stage exit the previous season.
Johann van Graan's side looked a highly composed and composed outfit in their 40-14 win over Munster, who are highly placed in the URC.
They marry creative spark – earning the try-scoring point inside 20 minutes at the Rec – with resolute defending, holding their guests at bay when they attempted a fightback.
With the likes of Finn Russell and Ben Spencer directing play and quality reserves all over the squad, they must be viewed as serious contenders for a maiden Champions Cup since 1998.
Bath's pivotal moment in the pools a year ago occurred in the following week, an agonising 22-21 defeat at Benetton with a rotated team.
Now with a league trophy under their belt and leading in England once more, Van Graan might decide to place greater emphasis on the Champions Cup now.
Glasgow Deal Sale a Tough Start
There are strong teams in every pool, but their section appears poised to be one of the tightest.
In the existing pool system, a lot is said about victories on your own turf, which is why Glasgow's win on the road at Sale on the opening night might just turn out to be vital.
The Glasgow Warriors were 14-0 down after 20 minutes but came back strongly, and two tries during the beginning of the second period gave them a valuable maximum haul.
In doing so, they handed their hopes of advancing a significant early boost and, by contrast, inflicted a damaging defeat to Sale.
With the red and blacks – imperious 56-19 victors over the Sharks – and Saracens, who easily overcame Clermont, also in the pool, we are likely to see plenty of fireworks.
And regarding Glasgow's old rivals Edinburgh? They produced one of their top continental showings in recent memory to shock heavyweights Toulon 33-20, on a excellent weekend for rugby in Scotland.
Is Ioane the Missing Ingredient of the Leinster Puzzle?
If there's one team you would expect to be in the mix at the later stages of the continental campaign, it would be four-time winners Leinster.
However in recent campaigns it hasn't gone to plan, as they have promised much but delivered little. Runners-up three years in a row between 2022-24, they looked overwhelming favourites last season after building on a 62-0 rout of Harlequins in the round of 16 with a 52-0 destruction over Glasgow in the quarter-final.
It was thought that New Zealand full-back Jordie Barrett would be the key player to secure the title, but they were surprised and endured a stunning upset to Northampton Saints in the last four.
Now they are bringing in another Kiwi, this time with Rieko Ioane, who registered a key pass on his bow in Saturday's 45-28 win over Harlequins.
Will Ioane prove to bring the trophy back to Ireland for the first time since 2018?
Stormers Look Equipped to Compete
Since the South African sides joined the Champions Cup in 2022-23, the deepest run achieved is the last eight, and in the last campaign none of them managed to make it out of the group stage, with several weakened teams selected.
Could this be the season that turns around? The Stormers are leading the URC and started their European campaign with a 26-17 victory on the road at Bayonne on Friday.
The post-match comments were positive too, with individuals involved talking about their goals, and the players such as Springboks Cobus Reinach, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Damian Willemse unavailable for the opening victory.
The Stormers look the best bet for a team from South Africa to go deep into the competition, although write off the Sharks and Bulls, who both lost in the opening round but did play formidable opponents respectively.
The English and French Sides Deliver a Classic Encounter
There were a few contenders for best fixture, and that clash was among the best.
Pau have been enjoying a brilliant season, led by Argentine internationals Julian Montoya and Facundo Isa and former Wasps scrum-half Dan Robson.
They are presently in second place in the French championship and the stadium was buzzing at the Stade du Hameau|their home ground|Pau's
