The grandest stage in European club rugby has begun its shows for another year.

With a new, faraway country in the mix to try their hand at the European Rugby Champions Cup, things got spicy quickly.

South Africa’s proud rugby history was injected into the Champions Cup for the very first time in the competition’s existence this past weekend, and the clubs hailing from France also made their mark in style.

However, there are still plenty of European clubs with talented squads, and several of the favorites showed they aren’t to be taken lightly, as they hope to position themselves for a deep knockout-round run.

Here’s a recap of Round 1 of the Heineken Champions Cup—all fixtures will be streamed live throughout the competition on FloRugby.

Cell C Sharks Pick Up First Champions Cup Win

It was bound to happen sometime, but the first win by a South African club in Champions Cup history was always destined to be a grand celebration. For the Sharks, in a wild 39-31 result against English side Harlequins in Durban, things got a bit dicier than they might have wanted. 

South Africa’s Cell C Sharks, Vodacom Bulls and DHL Stormers all made their Champions Cup debuts this past weekend, having qualified for the formerly all-European club rugby competition through the United Rugby Championship. 

Cape Town’s Stormers were beaten by France’s Clermont while Pretoria’s Bulls prevailed in a thrilling win of their own against defending Challenge Cup winner Lyon. However Sharks got the W for South Africa first, etching their names into history and trivia questions everywhere. 

Best try on opening weekend? ?

Vote for your #HeinekenChampionsCup Try of the Round now ➡️ https://t.co/7kbfYhvpyj pic.twitter.com/Ufjj8qHJko

— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) December 13, 2022

Ten tries were scored overall, with speedy Springbok winger Makazole Mapimpi notching a brace for the hosts, playing his part to help fend off Harlequins’ own braces through winger Josh Bassett and familiar face Andre Esterhuizen—a former Sharks player from 2014-2020. 

Discipline was an issue for the Sharks as Esterhuizen (who scored both of his tries five minutes apart) capitalized on a yellow card from Bongi Mbonambi and then a quick red from Ox Nche in the second half. It was a stretch that left the Sharks undermanned and Esterhuizen able to strike to get his side back in the match. 

But the Durban club held firm and left no doubt, getting the clinching try through Boeta Chamberlain in the 78th minute to seal the door shut on Harlequins—and cap off a historic day for South African club rugby.

England’s Best Clubs Look Solid As Rumors Swirl

While England’s international team is getting heavy attention at the moment, Premiership clubs—some which may be directly involved in the national side’s coaching search—still have matches to play despite the noise. 

It’s safe to say that in Round 1 of the EPC, England’s top clubs didn’t let all the extra hijinks from the past week get to them. Four of the Premiership’s top-five current clubs (except Harlequins) won their opening matches of Champions Cup play this season as the country attempts to bring the cup back to England following a three-year absence. 

The England captain praised the efforts of his former boss, who was relieved of his post after a subpar showing at the Autumn Nations Series. Losses to South Africa and Argentina - which was the first on home soil since 2006.https://t.co/pwjday4GJE

— FloRugby (@FloRugby) December 13, 2022

Premiership leader Saracens—three-time winners that returned to the fray after two years away—continued their winning form following nine straight league wins with a 30-26 victory over Edinburgh. Second-placed Sale Sharks ran all over Irish side Ulster in a 39-0, bonus-point shutout. Gloucester scored 17 points in the second half to get past Bordeaux by a 22-17 scoreline in its own return to the Champions Cup after a year away. 

The most intriguing storyline among English teams for the first round of Champions Cup play undoubtedly was at Leicester Tigers—and more specifically, coach Steve Borthwick. The former lock and England international is widely considered the favorite to take over as coach of the national team (less than nine months out of a Rugby World Cup, by the way) after Eddie Jones was controversially fired last week following a mediocre 2022 

In what could be his final match coaching the Tigers, Borthwick beat Wales’ Ospreys 23-17 to give Leicester an opening Champions Cup win, helped out by second-half tries from Harry Potter and Anthony Watson.

La Rochelle Dominates In First Title Defense Test

The defining question for La Rochelle in this year’s Champions Cup campaign has been: how they handle being the chased, rather than the giant-killer. The club has been a plucky underdog for much of its history and won its first major piece of silverware with last season’s Champions Cup win.

Judging by its 46-12 demolition of Northampton Saints—one in which the Privateers got out to a 46-0 lead from the opening kickoff—La Rochelle’s not here to just be a one-year wonder. 

Irish coach Ronan O’Gara’s men absolutely blitzed the Saints in front of home support at the Stade Marcel Deflandre, with a try from fullback Brice Dulin two minutes in, setting the hosts up for an entertaining night. 

Antoine Hastoy kicked through 16 points as his teammates accumulated six tries in a variety of exciting ways. 

Gregory Aldritt started the second half with a bang as he blocked a Northampton clearance, picked up the ensuing bouncing ball and ran in for a try, while Dulin found Ulupano Seuteni with a cross-pitch kick on the right side before the Aussie maneuvered past multiple defenders near the try line to touch down for his team’s final try of the night. 

Consolation tries from James Ramm and Matty Proctor for the Saints in the final 10 minutes meant little—spoiling England and club legend Courtney Lawes’ return to the pitch in over two months following a head injury. 

La Rochelle made its mark as yet again a tournament favorite, now with the confidence and a swagger that knows exactly the type of rugby that it needs to play to win the whole thing.