In three-of-four pools, clubs of the Gallagher Premiership are at or near the top of their groups after the first round of battles for the Investec Champions Cup trophy as the eight from the English league went 7-1-0 on opening weekend. Them of the Top 14 and United Rugby Championship each counted a brace of victories, five losses and an incidence of drawn scores for their collective efforts. By the Numbers: Pool 1 Clubs (league pos.) Bordeaux (7) Bristol (8) Bulls (3) Lyon (12) Saracens (4) Connacht (8) 6 12 11
6
16
l 0 0 0 1 1 1
d 0 0 0 0 0 0
+/36 2 11 -2 -11 -36
table points 5 5 4 2 0 0
try Bordeaux Bègles broke open a close, 12-5, midpoint tussle with 4 unanswered touch downs in the second stanza for a convincing, 5-point, 41 - 5 victory over Connacht at the Sportsgrounds in Galway; for Bulls 10, Johan Goosen, on 3-and-2 from his shoe and Vodacom are lossless after stymying Saracens at Loftus Versfeld, 27 - 16; for Bristol Bears 10, Callum Sheedy, on 4-and-1 shooting, and it was his last volley, a dropped goal in the 85th minute that won it; 36 – 34 the final over Lyon at Ashton Gate; double for 15, Thacker Abrahams, in defeat;
Pool 2 Clubs (league pos.) Toulouse (6) Bath (2) Harlequins (3) Racing 92 (1) Ulster (7) Cardiff (12) 13
w 1 1 1 0 0 0
w 1 1 1 0 0 0
l 0 0 0 1 1 1
d 0 0 0 0 0 0
+/45 23 3 -3 -23 -45
table points 5 5 5 2 0 0
for Toulouse 15, Thomas Ramos, on 5-and-1, shooting with 100% accuracy and the French Giants blasted Cardiff at Ernest-Wallon on Saturday, 52 – 7 for a fiver; double for home 15, Blair Kinghorn, his second coming during injury time; points the margin of separation at the half with Bath on the wrong end, 8-14, requiring 4 trys from homeys in the last half to record the 37 – 14 win; double for flyer, Joe Cokanasiga, in the happy over Ulster; for travelling 10, Marcus Smith on 3 conversions, 1 grounding, and a dropped goal as Harlequins brought five points back across the Channel after 31 – 28 joy past Racing 92 at Stade Jean Bouin; 18 for Racing 9, Nolann Le Garrec, on a double and all 4 conversions in the losing effort; home side were up, 28-17 after a brace of touchdowns by the hour mark to start the second stanza, but the Quins responded with a pair of converted groundings to make the result;