Investec Champions Cup & EPCR Challenge Cup: Round 1 Recap

However, the weekend was heavily overshadowed by the tragic passing of 10bet Lions lock Hyron Andrews in France on Friday, 16 October, leading to an emotional atmosphere across all fixtures.

Round 1 Results: URC Teams

Investec Champions Cup

• Sale Sharks 27 – 47 Glasgow Warriors: Glasgow produced an explosive attacking display in England to grab a maximum-point away win.

• Vodacom Bulls 56 – 20 Stade Français Paris: The Bulls put on a masterclass at Loftus Versfeld, powered by a Cheswill Jooste hat-trick to crush the French side.

• ASM Clermont Auvergne 23 – 48 Leinster Rugby: Last season's runners-up made a massive statement in France with an emphatic six-try performance.

• DHL Stormers 49 – 12 Bristol Bears: Powered by two tries each from Leolin Zas and Jonathan Roche, the Stormers blew past Bristol in Cape Town despite playing with 13 men for a spell.

• Connacht Rugby 45 – 36 Saracens: In a wild 81-point thriller in Galway, Connacht outgunned three-time champions Saracens.

• Stade Rochelais 31 – 14 10bet Lions: Playing in honour of their late teammate, the Lions fought bravely but went down to five tries from the former champions in La Rochelle.

• Munster Rugby 33 – 25 Racing 92: Munster held firm in a high-intensity battle in Cork to kick off their campaign with a crucial home win.

• Northampton Saints 28 – 12 Cardiff Rugby: Northampton controlled the final quarter to seal a hard-fought home win over Cardiff.

EPCR Challenge Cup

• Dragons RFC 29 – 14 USAP: Dragons kicked off the Welsh campaign with a strong bonus-point home win over Perpignan.

• Edinburgh Rugby 17 – 27 RC Toulon: Toulon proved too strong in Scotland, handing Edinburgh an opening-round home defeat.

• LOU Rugby 33 – 40 Hollywoodbets Sharks: The Sharks edged a frantic 73-point thriller in Lyon, securing a last-gasp away victory with a try after the hooter.

• Black Lion 14 – 39 Ospreys: Ospreys travelled well to Tbilisi, claiming a comfortable five-try away win.

• Zebre Parma 21 – 40 Ulster Rugby: Last season's Challenge Cup finalists Ulster hit the ground running with a dominant display in Italy.

• Scarlets 47 – 14 Newcastle Red Bulls: Scarlets ran in seven tries at Llanelli in a statement win over Newcastle.

• Castres Olympique 18 – 9 Benetton Rugby: Benetton fought hard in France but fell short in a tight, low-scoring arm-wrestle.

• Aviron Bayonnais 29 – 27 Toyota Cheetahs: The Cheetahs suffered heartbreak in France as a late Herschel Jantjies try handed Bayonne a narrow two-point win.

Round 1 Match Highlights & South African Review

Encouraging Starts for Three SA Franchises

• Jooste Hat-Trick Powers Eight-Try Bulls: Junior Bok speedster Cheswill Jooste scored after just 25 seconds en route to a hat-trick at Loftus Versfeld. Tries from Cobus Wiese, Cameron Hanekom, Marco van Staden, Jeandre Rudolph, and Jan-Hendrik Wessels,along with eight flawless conversions from Handré Pollard, sealed a dominant 56–20 bonus-point win for the Vodacom Bulls over Stade Français.

• Seven-Try Stormers Overcome 13-Man Spell: The DHL Stormers overcome a 20-minute red card to JJ Kotze and a yellow card to Leolin Zas to crush Bristol Bears 49–12 in Cape Town. Seabelo Senatla opened the scoring, while Zas and Jonathan Roche each scored braces alongside tries from Warrick Gelant and André-Hugo Venter. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted all seven tries.

• Sharks Win Lyon Thriller at the Hooter: Lili Bester scored two tries, including the match-winner after the final hooter, as the Hollywoodbets Sharks clinched a dramatic 40–33 away win against LOU Rugby in Lyon. Jaco Williams, Manu Tshituka, Nick Hatton, and Zekhethelo Siyaya also crossed the line, supported by five conversions from Jordan Hendrikse.

• Cheetahs Fall Just Short: The Toyota Cheetahs put in a spirited performance in Bayonne, taking a second-half lead via tries from Michael Annies, CJ Coetzee, and Louis van der Westhuizen. However, two missed penalty kicks proved costly as former Springbok scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies pounced on a late turnover to earn Bayonne a tight 29–27 victory.

In Memory of Hyron Andrews

• The 10bet Lions squad courageously chose to play their Champions Cup opener against Stade Rochelais in memory of lock Hyron Andrews, who tragically passed away in France on Friday at the age of 31.

• After early tries from Henco van Wyk and Morné Brandon kept the scores level in the first half, La Rochelle pulled away after the restart to win 31–14.

• Across both competitions, a minute's silence was observed before every kickoff to honour Andrews.

Standings & Looking Ahead

• Investec Champions Cup: Both the DHL Stormers and Vodacom Bulls top their respective pools following maximum-point home victories, while the Lions are yet to open their account.

• EPCR Challenge Cup: The Hollywoodbets Sharks sit in second place in Pool 2, while the Toyota Cheetahs picked up a losing bonus point to sit third in Pool 1.

• The teams now turn their attention back to the Vodacom United Rugby Championship next weekend, with Round 2 of the European competitions set to resume in December.