Now that the opening salvo of the new season's Champions Cup wrapped up, we delve into the primary lessons emerging from the fixtures.
Gallic supremacy has been the narrative in recent years, with the last five champions all hailing from France's elite division. But, the opening round showcased a number of convincing performances from emerging rivals.
Bordeaux Seem Ready to Retain Their Crown
Reigning title-holders Bordeaux Begles were utterly dominant in Europe the previous campaign, dominating Toulouse in the semi-final and subsequently Northampton in the final.
Lying sixth in the French league, doubts have been raised about their ability to repeat the title this year. But, in round one, Bordeaux sent a message that they are more than capable of achieving another trophy with a high-scoring away victory in South Africa.
Faced with a difficult tie at Loftus Versfeld against a formidable Bulls side featuring talents like Willie le Roux, Handre Pollard, and Canan Moodie, they were behind 33-22 at the interval.
But, as champions do, they unleashed their power in the second period, fighting back to seal a 46-33 victory – holding the Bulls to zero after the halftime.
Les Bleus stars aces Damian Penaud and World Player of the Year nominee Louis Bielle-Biarrey each crossed the try-line. Any side with such firepower on the wings stands a good chance against any competition.
Formidable Bath Look Capable of Challenging for the Title
Bath's sole success in the Champions Cup came almost three decades ago. Throughout the ensuing period, they have arguably not been better equipped to win it again.
The defending English Premiership champions are top of the pile in the league after six games and will be looking to translate that form into the Champions Cup – especially after a shocking early departure in the last campaign.
Johann van Graan's side looked a extremely well-rounded and polished team in their 40-14 win over Munster, who are among the leaders in the URC.
They blend attacking verve – sealing the bonus point inside 20 minutes at the Rec – with defensive steel, restraining their visitors at a distance when they attempted a late rally.
With players including Finn Russell and Ben Spencer directing play and a deep squad all over the team, they must be viewed as genuine challengers for a first European trophy since 1998.
Bath's defining match in the initial phase the previous year was in the second round, an heartbreaking 22-21 setback at Benetton with a changed side.
Having secured a league trophy in their history and setting the pace in England once more, Van Graan might decide to place greater emphasis on the Champions Cup this season.
Glasgow Give Sale a Tough Start
There are quality outfits in every pool, but their section looks set to be one of the most fiercely contested.
In the tournament's current format, a lot is emphasized regarding winning your home games, which is why Glasgow's triumph at an opponent's ground at Sale on the first day might just be pivotal.
The Scottish side were trailing by 14 points after 20 minutes but came back strongly, and two tries early in the second period gave them a valuable maximum haul.
By achieving this, they handed their hopes of advancing a major lift and, conversely, handed a damaging defeat to the Sharks.
With the French giants – commanding 56-19 winners against the Sharks – and Saracens, who easily overcame Clermont, also in the pool, we are likely to see many thrilling contests.
And what of Glasgow's old rivals Edinburgh? They delivered one of their top continental showings in years to shock former champions Toulon 33-20, on a fine weekend for Scottish rugby.
Will Ioane Be the Final Piece of the Leinster Quest?
If there's one team you would expect to be challenging at the business end of the season in Europe, it would be European giants Leinster.
Yet in recent campaigns it has ended in disappointment, as they have promised much but delivered little. Beaten finalists three years in a row between 2022-24, they looked heavy favourites last season after following up a 62-0 rout of Harlequins in the round of 16 with a 52-0 demolition over Glasgow in the quarter-final.
It was hoped that All Black star Jordie Barrett would be the missing ingredient to take them over the line, but they were ambushed and suffered a surprise defeat to Northampton Saints in the semi.
This year they are trying the All Black experiment again, this time with Rieko Ioane, who registered a key pass on his bow in Saturday's 45-28 success against Harlequins.
Could Ioane be the player to bring the trophy back to Ireland for the first occasion since 2018?
Stormers Seem Prepared to Challenge
Since the South African sides joined the Champions Cup in 2022-23, the deepest run achieved is the quarter-finals, and in the last campaign not a single one succeeded in getting out of the pool phase, with often squads not at full strength fielded.
Will this be the campaign that is different? The Stormers are first in the URC and started their European campaign with a 26-17 away win at Bayonne on Friday.
The post-match comments were positive 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 first match.
The Stormers look the strongest candidate for a team from South Africa to have a long run in the tournament, yet write off the Sharks and Bulls, who each suffered defeat in their first games but did meet the French powerhouses respectively.
Saints and Pau Serve Up a Thrilling Contest
There were multiple possibilities for match of the round, and that clash was among the best.
Pau have been experiencing a brilliant season, guided by Argentine internationals Julian Montoya and Facundo Isa and ex-England half-back Dan Robson.
They are currently runner-up in the French league and the crowd was raucous at the Stade du Hameau|their home ground|Pau's
