So, what did Round 1 of this year’s Heineken Champions Cup reveal?

For starters, there are a lot of hijinks still to play out, secondly, with so few matches (four pool stage games), every game matters that much more—especially if things don’t go to plan in the first weekend.

Therefore, expect Round 2 of the Champions Cup to ramp up the tension. Positioning and jobs could be on the line throughout the next few weeks, and there are plenty of matchups that will test the mettle of clubs. 

Here’s a look at the matches to watch in the upcoming round of Heineken European Champions Cup competition this weekend, with all fixtures throughout the competition being streamed live on FloRugby.

Leinster Vs. Gloucester 

Leinster was one of the standout performers of Round 1, blitzing Racing 92 by a 42-10 scoreline. Last season’s runner-up dominated in Le Havre despite injury to star fly-half and Ireland centurion Johnny Sexton, that prevented him from suiting him. 

It mattered little, as Leinster crossed over six times, twice through flanker Josh van der Flier—the recently named World Rugby Player of the Year. Racing’s star No. 10, Scotland standout Finn Russell, had one conversion and penalty kicks for naught as the Irish province ran through the three-time Champions Cup finalists. 

Leinster head back to Dublin to take on England’s Gloucester, which is coming off a thrilling 22-17 win against French side Bordeaux. The Premiership club looked down and out for the first hour of the match before ripping off 17 unanswered points in the final 18 minutes to pull off the stunner. 

Leinster are currently seen as one of the world’s true club rugby powers with a loaded squad featuring numerous players on Ireland’s No. 1-ranked national team. Gloucester, on the other side, haven’t historically made deep runs in the Champions Cup, only making the knockout rounds of the competition twice since 2007-08. 

A win against Leinster, however, could be a sign that fortunes are changing for the Cherry and Whites, who feature a talented roster of their own with the likes of longtime England winger Jonny May and 21-year-old Welsh winger Louis Rees-Zammit, one of the top young talents. 

Still, the unbeaten United Rugby Championship leaders in Leinster—which at 43 points lead the second-placed Bulls by nine—look spectacular at this point in the season. The squad will be looking for a record-tying fifth Champions Cup title this year, in what would be their first since 2017-18. 

Leicester Vs. Clermont 

The biggest story between these two clubs at the moment isn’t the matchup, but rather some external chatter surrounding the Leicester side, which currently still has coach Steve Borthwick in charge of the team. Though he may not be on the touchline by the time the weekend hits. 

The former Bath lock, and England captain, is widely expected to be the newest coach of his national team after coach Eddie Jones was sacked earlier this month following an up-and-down 2022. 

The Rugby Football Union will try to seal the deal as soon as possible as the Rugby World Cup sits less than a year out, and Six Nations less than two-and-a-half months out. 

The hiring would certainly shake up the Tigers dressing room, but, so far, the chatter hasn’t seemed to bother the two-time Champions Cup winners. Leicester prevailed past its Round 1 opponent with a 23-17 win over the Ospreys. 

But it could also make for a perfect chance for ASM Clermont Auvergne to snatch a win and set the Vulcans up nicely for a potential spot in the knockout rounds. 

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Clermont spoiled a perfect South African debut weekend by beating the Stormers 24-14 at the Stade Marcel-Michelin, with second-half tries from Alex Newsome and Alivereti Raka leading the way for the French side. It was a big win in a season that hasn’t gone to plan for the most, with Clermont currently sitting 10th in the Top 14 through 12 matches. 

Still, no matter who is coaching the Tigers this weekend at Welford Road, a squad full of grizzled veterans (like England’s Ben Youngs and American Joe Taufete’e) and exciting youngsters (like Wales’ Tommy Reffell) should give Leicester the quality to compete, as it seeks its first trip to back-to-back Champions Cup knockout rounds since 2012-14. 

Toulouse Vs. Sale Sharks 

The most successful club in Champions Cup history, five-time champ Toulouse, has made it to at least the semifinal round of the knockout stages in four straight tournaments. Coach Ugo Mola’s side always seems to knock on the door in search of more silverware. 

Although the club’s Round 1 opponent, Munster, is far from a slouch, Toulouse’s 18-13 victory in Limerick showed the French power is still a work-in-progress, and not in line to be a favorite, yet. 

Munster hit Toulouse with a try in the first 10 minutes before the French squad had to establish some offense of its own. Against the rapid-scoring of the Sale Sharks, however, Toulouse likely can’t afford to start slow. 

Sale Sharks, the Premiership’s current second-placed team, shutout Ulster 39-0 in one of the most impressive performances of Round 1. The Salford side currently sit at the top of Pool B with maximum points and a superior point differential to the defending champion La Rochelle. 

South African fly-half Robert du Preez was spectacular in Sale’s demolition, scoring one of his team’s six tries while also kicking nine points with his boot to help hold Ulster scoreless in a Champions Cup match for the first time in its history. 

With potential Pool B supremacy on the line, the Sharks can make a statement by beating one of the world’s best club rugby squads on their home turf at the Stade Ernest-Wallon—a tough, yet not impossible task. 

But having one of the most dynamic duos in all of world rugby, with scrum-half and former World Rugby Player of the Year Antoine Dupont plus fantastic fly-half Romain Ntamack, it’s a task that few clubs are capable. Are the Sharks one of them?