Now that the first round of the new season's Champions Cup in the books, we examine the key revelations highlighted by the fixtures.
Top 14 superiority has been the narrative in the past few campaigns, with the previous five victors all calling home France's Top 14. But, the opening round included several impressive wins from new challengers.
Bordeaux Appear Primed to Retain Their Crown
Defending champions Bordeaux Begles were imperious in this tournament the previous campaign, dominating Toulouse in the last four and then Northampton in the grand finale.
Positioned sixth in the Top 14, questions have been asked about their capacity to retain the accomplishment now. Yet, in round one, Bordeaux served notice that they are more than capable of achieving back-to-back titles with a high-scoring away victory in South Africa.
Handed a tough assignment at the Bulls' fortress against a strong Bulls side featuring stars like Willie le Roux, Handre Pollard, and Canan Moodie, they found themselves trailing 33-22 at the interval.
But, demonstrating their pedigree, they showed their quality in the second period, roaring back to secure a 46-33 victory – shutting out the Bulls scoreless after the break.
France international aces Damian Penaud and star wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey were among the try-scorers. Any team with those two on the edges has a chance against any competition.
Formidable Bath Look Capable of A Deep Run
Bath's only triumph in the Champions Cup dates back almost a generation ago. Throughout the ensuing period, they have probably never been more strongly positioned to add a second star.
The defending English Premiership champions are setting the pace in the league after six games and will be looking to carry that momentum into continental competition – particularly following a shocking early departure the previous season.
Johann van Graan's men looked a highly composed and composed outfit in their 40-14 victory against Munster, who are highly placed in the Celtic league.
They combine offensive flair – sealing the bonus point inside 20 minutes at the Rec – with defensive steel, restraining their guests at a distance when they threatened a late rally.
With the likes of Finn Russell and Ben Spencer in the half-backs and strength in depth throughout the roster, they must be viewed as serious contenders for a continental title since 1998.
Bath's pivotal moment in the pools a year ago came in the following week, an heartbreaking 22-21 loss at Benetton with a rotated team.
After winning a league trophy in their history and leading in England once more, Van Graan may feel able to place greater emphasis on the Champions Cup now.
Glasgow Give Sale a Tough Start
The tournament contains powerful sides throughout the draw, but Pool One looks set to be one of the most fiercely contested.
In the existing pool system, a lot is made about victories on your own turf, which is why Glasgow's triumph at an opponent's ground at Sale on Friday evening might just turn out to be vital.
The Scottish side were two scores behind after 20 minutes but came back strongly, and two tries at the start of the second period gave them a all-important bonus-point win.
With this result, they gave their prospects of qualification a significant early boost and, by contrast, dealt a hefty blow to their opponents.
With Toulouse – dominant 56-19 victors over the Sharks – and Saracens, who comfortably defeated Clermont, also in the pool, we are likely to see high-stakes drama.
And what of Glasgow's traditional foes Edinburgh? They delivered one of their top continental showings in a long time to surprise heavyweights Toulon 33-20, on a fine weekend for rugby in Scotland.
Will Ioane Be the Final Piece of the Leinster Puzzle?
If there's one team you would expect to be there or thereabouts at the later stages of the continental campaign, it would be European giants Leinster.
However in recent campaigns it has ended in disappointment, as they have promised much but delivered little. Runners-up three years in a row between 2022-24, they looked the team to beat a year ago after following up a 62-0 thrashing of Harlequins in the last 16 with a 52-0 destruction over Glasgow in the quarter-final.
It was hoped that New Zealand full-back Jordie Barrett would be the missing ingredient to secure the title, but they were ambushed and experienced a stunning upset to Northampton Saints in the semi-final.
Now they are testing another New Zealand import, this time with Rieko Ioane, who claimed a scoring pass on his bow in Saturday's 45-28 victory against Harlequins.
Is Ioane the man to return the cup to Ireland for the first time since 2018?
Stormers Look Ready to Step Up
Since the South African sides entered the Champions Cup in 2022-23, the best performance by any of them is the last eight, and in the last campaign not a single one managed to make it out of the group stage, with plenty of squads not at full strength used.
Could this be the season that turns around? The Stormers are first in the URC and started their continental journey with a 26-17 victory on the road at Bayonne on the opening night.
The reactions after the game were encouraging too, with players and coaches speaking of their aspirations, and the players such as stars Cobus Reinach, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Damian Willemse unavailable for the round-one win.
The Stormers seem the strongest candidate for a team from South Africa to go deep into the tournament, but do not rule out the Sharks and Bulls, who were defeated this weekend but did face formidable opponents respectively.
Northampton and Pau Serve Up a Memorable Match
There were multiple possibilities for best fixture, and that clash was a leading candidate.
Pau have been enjoying a outstanding campaign, guided by Pumas Julian Montoya and Facundo Isa and ex-England half-back Dan Robson.
They are right now in second place in the French league and the atmosphere was electric at the Stade du Hameau|their home ground|Pau's
