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 defined the competition in recent seasons, with the past five winners all calling home France's Top 14. But, the opening round featured a number of impressive wins from potential contenders.
Bordeaux Look Set to Defend Their Title
Reigning title-holders Bordeaux Begles were a class apart in the competition a year ago, dismantling Toulouse in the last four and subsequently Northampton in the showpiece.
Lying sixth in the Top 14, some have suggested about their capacity to retain the title this season. Yet, in the first round, Bordeaux served notice that they are fully equipped of achieving another trophy with a points-laden away victory in South Africa.
Handed a challenging fixture at Loftus Versfeld against a strong Bulls side featuring talents like Willie le Roux, Handre Pollard, and Canan Moodie, they were behind 33-22 at the interval.
But, true to their champion status, they displayed their class in the second period, fighting back to seal a 46-33 victory – keeping the Bulls scoreless after the break.
French try-scoring machines Damian Penaud and star wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey were among the try-scorers. Any side with those two on the edges is a threat against any opponent.
Impressive Bath Seem Poised of Going the Distance
Bath's lone victory in the Champions Cup came almost a generation ago. Throughout the ensuing period, they have perhaps not been more prepared to add a second star.
The defending English Premiership champions are top of the pile in the league after six games and will be aiming to transfer that success into Europe – particularly following a unexpected elimination the previous season.
Johann van Graan's team looked a highly composed and composed outfit in their 40-14 defeat of Munster, who are among the leaders in the United Rugby Championship.
They marry creative spark – sealing the try-scoring point in under 20 minutes at the Rec – with tough tackling, keeping their visitors at bay when they threatened a fightback.
With stars such as Finn Russell and Ben Spencer pulling the strings and strength in depth across the squad, they have to be considered serious contenders for a continental title since 1998.
Bath's key result in the pools last season occurred in the next fixture, an agonising 22-21 defeat at Benetton with a rotated team.
Having secured a league trophy to their name and top in England once more, Van Graan could be inclined to concentrate more effort on the Champions Cup now.
Glasgow Give Sale a Tough Start
You will find quality outfits throughout the draw, but the first group looks set to be one of the most fiercely contested.
In the competition's present structure, a lot is said about winning your home games, which is why Glasgow's win on the road at Sale on the opening night might just be pivotal.
The Scottish side were two scores behind after 20 minutes but responded with character, and two tries during the beginning of the second period gave them a precious bonus-point win.
In doing so, they handed their chances of progressing a significant early boost and, in turn, dealt a damaging defeat to Sale.
With the red and blacks – imperious 56-19 conquerors of the Sharks – and Saracens, who easily overcame Clermont, in the same section, we can expect high-stakes drama.
And as for Glasgow's old rivals Edinburgh? They turned in one of their top continental showings in a long time to stun three-time winners Toulon 33-20, on a excellent weekend for Scottish rugby.
Could Ioane the Final Piece of the Leinster Jigsaw?
If there's one team you would expect to be in the mix at the sharp end of the season in Europe, it would be European giants Leinster.
However in recent campaigns it has ended in disappointment, as they have shown great potential but fallen short. Runners-up three years in a row between 2022-24, they looked heavy favourites last season after following up a 62-0 mauling 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 win the championship, but they were caught out and experienced a shock loss to Northampton Saints in the last four.
This season they are bringing in another Kiwi, this time with Rieko Ioane, who registered a scoring pass on his bow in Saturday's 45-28 victory against Harlequins.
Could Ioane be the player to return the cup to Ireland for the first time since 2018?
Stormers Look Equipped to Compete
Ever since the teams from South Africa joined the Champions Cup in 2022-23, the furthest any of their teams have got is the last eight, and the previous season not a single one managed to make it out of the group stage, with plenty of weakened teams used.
Could this be the season that turns around? The Stormers are leading the URC and started their Champions Cup adventure with a 26-17 victory on the road at Bayonne on the opening night.
The reactions after the game were positive too, with the squad and staff talking about their aspirations, and the players such as Springboks Cobus Reinach, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Damian Willemse unavailable for the round-one win.
The Stormers appear the most likely contender for a team from South Africa to go deep into the event, yet don't count out the Sharks and Bulls, who each suffered defeat in their first games but did face Toulouse and Bordeaux respectively.
Northampton and Pau Serve Up a Memorable Match
There were several candidates for game of the weekend, and this one was among the best.
Pau have been enjoying a brilliant campaign, led by Argentine internationals Julian Montoya and Facundo Isa and veteran playmaker Dan Robson.
They are currently runner-up in the French league and the stadium was buzzing at the Stade du Hameau|their home ground|Pau's
