adminLONDON. — Twelve games played, 599 points scored and three new teams all made for a compelling start to the 2022-23 Heineken Champions Cup.
Eight sides from England, eight from France, three from Ireland and one each from Scotland and Wales were joined by three newcomers from South Africa in a new-look premier club competition – so what are the key talking points from the opening weekend?
BBC Sport takes a look at five things we learned.
Tigers dig in amid Borthwick speculation
There was a lot of noise around Leicester Tigers boss Steve Borthwick this weekend as he is among the favourites to replace Eddie Jones as the England head coach.
But the former lock was quick to shut down any suggestion of such a move in his pre-match news conference on Friday, and that message was conveyed to his players against Ospreys.
Anthony Watson’s stunning solo try saw Leicester come from behind to earn a 23-17 win in Swansea.
History-making South Africans enter the fray
Arguably the headline of this year’s tournament is the introduction of South African teams the Sharks, Stormers and Bulls.
The Cell C Sharks were the first to make their bow in the formerly all-European competition with a 39-31 bonus point win over Harlequins in Durban.
The Stormers lost 24-14 at French side and three-time runners-up Clermont Auvergne, while the Bulls beat Lyon 42-36 in Pretoria.
England’s top two impress
Three-time winners Saracens, who made their return to the competition after a two-season hiatus, had to come from behind to earn a 30-26 bonus point win over Edinburgh on Sunday.
Sale Sharks continued their momentum after three league wins with a comfortable win over Ulster in the early game on Sunday, scoring six tries to claim a 39-0 bonus point win at the AJ Bell Stadium.
Holders La Rochelle began the defence of their crown with a thumping 46-12 bonus-point win over Northampton Saints. — BBC Sport.
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