Now that the opening salvo of the latest Champions Cup in the books, we delve into the key revelations stemming from the fixtures.
French dominance has defined the competition in recent years, with the past five winners all hailing from France's elite division. Yet, the opening round featured several statement victories from emerging contenders.
Bordeaux Look Set to Defend Their Title
Reigning title-holders Bordeaux Begles were a class apart in Europe a year ago, dismantling Toulouse in the semi-final and then Northampton in the final.
Currently sitting sixth in the domestic standings, questions have been asked about their chances of defending the title now. Yet, in the first round, Bordeaux sent a message that they are fully equipped of achieving another trophy with a high-scoring win on the road in South Africa.
Handed a challenging fixture at a hostile venue against a strong Bulls side including stars like Willie le Roux, Handre Pollard, and Canan Moodie, they were behind 33-22 at half-time.
Yet, as champions do, they displayed their class in the second half, roaring back to seal a 46-33 victory – holding the Bulls to zero after the interval.
France international aces Damian Penaud and star wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey were among the try-scorers. Any outfit with those two on the flanks stands a good chance against whoever they face.
Powerful Bath Look Capable of Going the Distance
Bath's only triumph in this competition was almost a generation ago. Since that time, they have probably never been better equipped to add a second star.
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 continental competition – especially after a surprise group-stage exit last year.
Johann van Graan's team looked a highly composed and polished team in their 40-14 defeat of Munster, who are third in the URC.
They combine creative spark – sealing the bonus point within 20 minutes at the Rec – with resolute defending, restraining their visitors at a distance when they threatened a dramatic comeback.
With the likes of Finn Russell and Ben Spencer pulling the strings and strength in depth across the team, they are surely genuine challengers for a continental title since 1998.
Bath's defining match in the initial phase last season came in the second round, an agonising 22-21 loss at Benetton with a squad players.
Now with a domestic championship under their belt and setting the pace in England once more, Van Graan might decide to concentrate more effort on the Champions Cup this season.
Glasgow Deal Sale a Tough Start
There are strong teams everywhere you look, but Pool One seems destined to be one of the most competitive.
In the tournament's current format, a lot is emphasized regarding securing home wins, which is why Glasgow's triumph at an opponent's ground at Sale on the opening night might just be pivotal.
The Scottish side were 14-0 down after 20 minutes but came back strongly, and two tries early in the second half gave them a precious five points.
With this result, they handed their chances of progressing a major lift and, by contrast, handed a damaging defeat to the Sharks.
With the French giants – commanding 56-19 conquerors of the Sharks – and Saracens, who comfortably defeated Clermont, also in the pool, we should be in for many thrilling contests.
And regarding Glasgow's old rivals Edinburgh? They produced one of their finest displays in Europe in a long time to stun three-time winners Toulon 33-20, on a excellent weekend for rugby in Scotland.
Could Ioane the Missing Ingredient of the Leinster Quest?
If there's one team you would predict to be there or thereabouts at the sharp end of the continental campaign, it would be European giants Leinster.
But in recent campaigns it has not worked out, as they have promised much but delivered little. Beaten finalists three years in a row between 2022-24, they looked the team to beat the previous campaign after backing up a 62-0 rout of Harlequins in the last 16 with a 52-0 destruction over Glasgow in the quarter-final.
It was believed that Kiwi international Jordie Barrett would be the final piece to secure the title, but they were surprised and experienced a surprise defeat to Northampton Saints in the last four.
This season they are testing another New Zealand import, this time with Rieko Ioane, who provided a scoring pass on his first appearance in Saturday's 45-28 win over Harlequins.
Could Ioane be the player to secure European glory to Ireland for the first time since 2018?
Stormers Look Equipped to Compete
From the moment the SA franchises entered the Champions Cup in 2022-23, the deepest run achieved is the quarter-finals, and in the last campaign not a single one managed to make it out of the pool phase, with several rotated sides selected.
Could this be the season that turns around? The Stormers are top of the URC and started their European campaign with a 26-17 victory on the road at Bayonne on Friday.
The reactions after the game were encouraging too, with individuals involved talking about their goals, and the likes of Springboks Cobus Reinach, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Damian Willemse unavailable for the first match.
The Stormers appear the most likely contender for a team from South Africa to have a long run in the competition, but don't count out the Sharks and Bulls, who both lost this weekend but did face the French powerhouses respectively.
Saints and Pau Deliver a Thrilling Contest
There were a few contenders for best fixture, and this one was right up there.
Pau have been having a superb season, guided by stars Julian Montoya and Facundo Isa and veteran playmaker Dan Robson.
They are right now second in the French league and the stadium was buzzing at the Stade du Hameau|their home ground|Pau's
