With the first round of the 2025-26 Champions Cup concluded, we examine the primary lessons emerging from the games.
French dominance has defined the competition in the past few campaigns, with the previous five victors all calling home France's elite division. However, the opening round included several impressive wins from emerging contenders.
Bordeaux Look Set to Retain Their Crown
Defending champions Bordeaux Begles were utterly dominant in Europe the previous campaign, overpowering Toulouse in the last four and afterwards Northampton in the final.
Positioned sixth in the Top 14, questions have been asked about their ability to repeat the accomplishment this year. Yet, in round one, Bordeaux served notice that they are well-positioned of winning another trophy with a free-flowing away victory in South Africa.
Given a challenging fixture at the Bulls' fortress against a formidable Bulls side featuring stars like Willie le Roux, Handre Pollard, and Canan Moodie, they were behind 33-22 at the interval.
Yet, as champions do, they displayed their class in the final 40 minutes, roaring back to seal a 46-33 victory – keeping the Bulls scoreless after the interval.
French try-scoring aces Damian Penaud and star wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey both got on the scoresheet. Any team with that pair on the wings has a chance against whoever they face.
Powerful Bath Seem Poised of Going the Distance
Bath's lone victory in the Champions Cup was almost 30 years ago. In the years since, they have arguably not been better equipped to add a second star.
The current English champions are leading the way at home after six games and will be hoping to carry that momentum into Europe – particularly following a shocking early departure in the last campaign.
Johann van Graan's side looked a highly composed and polished team in their 40-14 win over Munster, who are among the leaders in the URC.
They blend creative spark – earning the try-scoring point inside 20 minutes at the Rec – with tough tackling, restraining their guests at arm's length when they looked like mounting a fightback.
With stars such as Finn Russell and Ben Spencer directing play and quality reserves across the team, they have to be considered genuine challengers for a first European trophy since 1998.
Bath's defining match in the pools the previous year occurred in the following week, an agonising 22-21 defeat at Benetton with a squad players.
Now with a league trophy in their history and setting the pace domestically again, Van Graan could be inclined to place greater emphasis on the Champions Cup now.
Glasgow Deal Sale a Significant Setback
There are strong teams everywhere you look, but their section appears poised to be one of the most competitive.
In the existing pool system, a lot is made about securing home wins, which is why Glasgow's win on the road at Sale on the first day might just prove crucial.
The Glasgow Warriors were trailing by 14 points after 20 minutes but responded with character, and two tries at the start of the second period gave them a precious five points.
In doing so, they provided their chances of progressing a major lift and, by contrast, inflicted a damaging defeat to Sale.
With the French giants – dominant 56-19 victors over the Sharks – and Saracens, who easily overcame Clermont, also in the pool, we can expect plenty of fireworks.
And what of Glasgow's traditional foes Edinburgh? They turned in one of their finest displays in Europe in recent memory to stun former champions Toulon 33-20, on a successful weekend for rugby in Scotland.
Is Ioane the Missing Ingredient of the Leinster Quest?
Should you pick one side you would expect to be there or thereabouts at the later stages of the continental campaign, it would be four-time winners Leinster.
Yet in recent campaigns it hasn't gone to plan, as they have been favourites but delivered little. Runners-up three years in a row between 2022-24, they looked heavy favourites the previous campaign after backing up a 62-0 rout of Harlequins in the round of 16 with a 52-0 destruction over Glasgow in the last eight.
It was believed that All Black star Jordie Barrett would be the key player to take them over the line, but they were caught out and experienced a stunning upset to Northampton Saints in the semi-final.
This season they are testing another New Zealand import, this time with Rieko Ioane, who registered a scoring 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 Appear Ready to Step Up
From the moment the SA franchises became part of the Champions Cup in 2022-23, the furthest any of their teams have got is the quarter-finals, and last year no South African side managed to make it out of the pool phase, with plenty of weakened teams fielded.
Will this be the campaign that changes? The Stormers are leading the URC and kicked off their continental journey with a 26-17 away win at Bayonne on Friday.
The post-match comments were promising too, with players and coaches speaking of their goals, and the caliber of stars Cobus Reinach, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Damian Willemse not involved for the opening victory.
The Stormers look the strongest candidate for a team from South Africa to go deep into the event, yet write off the Sharks and Bulls, who were defeated this weekend but did play Toulouse and Bordeaux respectively.
Saints and Pau Serve Up a Memorable Match
There were several candidates for match of the round, and that clash was right up there.
Pau have been having a superb campaign, guided by Pumas Julian Montoya and Facundo Isa and former Wasps scrum-half Dan Robson.
They are right now in second place in the French championship and the atmosphere was electric at the Stade du Hameau|their home ground|Pau's
