Now that the first round of the latest Champions Cup in the books, we delve into the major talking points highlighted by the fixtures.
French dominance has been the narrative in recent seasons, with the past five winners all representing France's Top 14. However, the first weekend included a number of statement victories from potential challengers.
Bordeaux Appear Primed to Retain Their Crown
Defending champions Bordeaux Begles were a class apart in the competition a year ago, dominating Toulouse in the semi-final and subsequently Northampton in the showpiece.
Positioned sixth in the domestic standings, questions have been asked about their chances of defending the feat now. However, in the first round, Bordeaux served notice that they are fully equipped of winning back-to-back titles with a free-flowing triumph on foreign soil in South Africa.
Handed a challenging fixture at Loftus Versfeld against a formidable Bulls side including talents like Willie le Roux, Handre Pollard, and Canan Moodie, they went into the break down 33-22 at the break.
Yet, as champions do, they unleashed their power in the second half, fighting back to secure a 46-33 victory – holding the Bulls without a point after the break.
French try-scoring aces Damian Penaud and global award contender Louis Bielle-Biarrey each crossed the try-line. Any side with those two on the wings has a chance against any competition.
Formidable Bath Appear Equipped of A Deep Run
Bath's sole success in Europe was almost three decades ago. In the years since, they have arguably not been more prepared to add a second star.
The defending English Premiership champions are top of the pile domestically after six games and will be looking to carry that momentum into Europe – especially after a surprise group-stage exit last year.
Johann van Graan's side looked a highly composed and polished team in their 40-14 win over Munster, who are third in the United Rugby Championship.
They blend creative spark – securing the extra point in under 20 minutes at the Rec – with defensive steel, restraining their opponents at bay when they attempted a fightback.
With the likes of Finn Russell and Ben Spencer pulling the strings and a deep squad across the team, they have to be considered genuine challengers for a first European trophy since 1998.
Bath's defining match in the group stage the previous year occurred in the following week, an narrow 22-21 loss at Benetton with a squad players.
After winning a league trophy under their belt and setting the pace domestically again, Van Graan might decide to place greater emphasis on the Champions Cup now.
Glasgow Hand Sale a Tough Start
You will find quality outfits in every pool, but their section appears poised to be one of the most fiercely contested.
In the competition's present structure, a lot is emphasized regarding securing home wins, which is why Glasgow's away victory at Sale on Friday evening might just be pivotal.
The Glasgow Warriors were two scores behind after 20 minutes but fought back impressively, and two tries early in the second half gave them a all-important bonus-point win.
With this result, they gave their hopes of advancing a major lift and, conversely, dealt a damaging defeat to Sale.
With Toulouse – dominant 56-19 victors over the Sharks – and Saracens, who comfortably defeated Clermont, sharing the group, we can expect high-stakes drama.
And what of Glasgow's traditional foes Edinburgh? They produced one of their finest displays in Europe in years to stun three-time winners Toulon 33-20, on a fine weekend for Scottish rugby.
Will Ioane Be the Key Addition of the Leinster Quest?
If there's one team you would fancy to be there or thereabouts at the business end of the continental campaign, it would be European giants Leinster.
However in recent seasons it has not worked out, as they have shown great potential but delivered little. Runners-up three years in a row between 2022-24, they looked heavy favourites a year ago after building on a 62-0 thrashing of Harlequins in the round of 16 with a 52-0 win 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 ambushed and suffered a surprise defeat to Northampton Saints in the semi-final.
This season they are trying the All Black experiment again, this time with Rieko Ioane, who registered a try assist on his first appearance 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 Equipped to Compete
Since the South African sides became part of the Champions Cup in 2022-23, the best performance by any of them is the last eight, and the previous season not a single one was able to progress out of the group stage, with plenty of squads not at full strength selected.
Will this be the campaign that changes? The Stormers are first in the URC and began their Champions Cup adventure with a 26-17 triumph in France at Bayonne on the opening night.
The reactions after the game were positive too, with individuals involved expressing their ambition, and the players such as stars Cobus Reinach, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Damian Willemse not involved for the round-one win.
The Stormers appear the most likely contender for a SA franchise to progress far in the tournament, although don't count out the Sharks and Bulls, who were defeated in their first games but did play Toulouse and Bordeaux respectively.
Saints and Pau Serve Up a Thrilling Contest
There were a few contenders for game of the weekend, and that clash was a leading candidate.
Pau have been having a superb season, led by Argentine internationals Julian Montoya and Facundo Isa and ex-England half-back 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
