Now that the first round of the new season's Champions Cup concluded, we explore the key revelations emerging from the weekend's action.
Top 14 superiority has ruled the roost in recent years, with the previous five victors all hailing from France's elite division. But, the first weekend showcased a number of impressive wins from potential rivals.
Bordeaux Look Set to Retain Their Crown
Defending champions Bordeaux Begles were utterly dominant in the competition the previous campaign, dominating Toulouse in the last four and then Northampton in the grand finale.
Positioned sixth in the French league, some have suggested about their ability to repeat the title this season. Yet, in the first round, Bordeaux issued a reminder that they are fully equipped of achieving consecutive championships with a free-flowing win on the road in South Africa.
Handed a challenging fixture at a hostile venue against a strong Bulls side featuring stars like Willie le Roux, Handre Pollard, and Canan Moodie, they were behind 33-22 at the break.
Yet, true to their champion status, they showed their quality in the second period, storming back to seal a 46-33 victory – keeping the Bulls scoreless after the break.
France international phenoms Damian Penaud and World Player of the Year nominee Louis Bielle-Biarrey were among the try-scorers. Any team with those two on the wings stands a good chance against any opponent.
Powerful Bath Appear Equipped of Challenging for the Title
Bath's only triumph in the Champions Cup dates back almost three decades ago. In the years since, they have arguably not been better equipped to win it again.
The defending English Premiership champions are setting the pace in the league after six games and will be aiming to translate that form into Europe – on the back of a surprise group-stage exit the previous season.
Johann van Graan's team looked a extremely well-rounded and polished team in their 40-14 defeat of Munster, who are highly placed in the United Rugby Championship.
They blend offensive flair – earning the bonus point inside 20 minutes at the Rec – with defensive steel, holding their opponents 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 all over the squad, they must be viewed as serious contenders for a continental title since 1998.
Bath's defining match in the group stage a year ago occurred in the second round, an heartbreaking 22-21 loss at Benetton with a squad players.
Now with a Premiership title under their belt and top the home league, Van Graan might decide to put a heightened focus on the Champions Cup this season.
Glasgow Deal Sale a Significant Setback
There are quality outfits throughout the draw, but the first group appears poised to be one of the tightest.
In the existing pool system, a lot is made about winning your home games, which is why Glasgow's triumph at an opponent's ground at Sale on the first day might just turn out to be vital.
The Scottish side were trailing by 14 points after 20 minutes but fought back impressively, and two tries during the beginning of the second period gave them a valuable bonus-point win.
With this result, they provided their chances of progressing a major lift and, conversely, inflicted a hefty blow to the Sharks.
With Toulouse – imperious 56-19 conquerors of the Sharks – and Saracens, who easily overcame Clermont, also in the pool, we are likely to see plenty of fireworks.
And as for Glasgow's old rivals Edinburgh? They delivered one of their finest displays in Europe in years to surprise three-time winners Toulon 33-20, on a fine weekend for the Scottish game.
Will Ioane Be the Missing Ingredient of the Leinster Puzzle?
Should you pick one side you would expect to be challenging at the sharp end of the season in Europe, it would be four-time winners Leinster.
But in recent campaigns it hasn't gone to plan, as they have shown great potential but delivered little. Finalists three years in a row between 2022-24, they looked the team to beat a year ago after building on a 62-0 rout of Harlequins in the round of 16 with a 52-0 win over Glasgow in the last eight.
It was thought that Kiwi international Jordie Barrett would be the missing ingredient to secure the title, but they were ambushed and endured a surprise defeat to Northampton Saints in the semi-final.
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 win over Harlequins.
Could Ioane be the player to return the cup to Ireland for the first time since 2018?
Stormers Appear Prepared to Challenge
Since the South African sides became part of the Champions Cup in 2022-23, the furthest any of their teams have got is the last eight, and last year none of them was able to progress out of the pool phase, with several rotated sides fielded.
Is this the year that is different? The Stormers are first in the URC and kicked off their European campaign with a 26-17 away win at Bayonne on Friday.
The post-match comments were encouraging too, with individuals involved expressing their ambition, and the caliber of South African internationals Cobus Reinach, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Damian Willemse unavailable for the round-one win.
The Stormers seem the best bet for a SA franchise to progress far in the tournament, but do not rule out the Sharks and Bulls, who each suffered defeat this weekend but did play the French powerhouses respectively.
The English and French Sides Deliver a Memorable Match
There were several candidates for best fixture, and that clash was right up there.
Pau have been experiencing a outstanding campaign, spearheaded by stars Julian Montoya and Facundo Isa and former Wasps scrum-half Dan Robson.
They are currently in second place in the French league and the atmosphere was electric at the Stade du Hameau|their home ground|Pau's
