Last Updated: 06/12/25 10:24pm
An astonishing start set Bath on their way to a 40-14 Champions Cup victory over Munster at The Rec, the Premiership side racing into a 28-0 lead inside 19 minutes. A penalty try — with Munster lock Tadhg Beirne sin‑binned — was followed by tries from Miles Reid, Henry Arundell and Tom Dunn, and Beno Obano added a fifth before half‑time after Munster had briefly reduced the deficit. Craig Casey’s score left the interval score 35-14, and although Munster enjoyed plenty of second‑half territory, they could not find a way through again; Ted Hill added a late Bath try and Finn Russell kicked four conversions. Munster were already without Jack Crowley and lost Jean Kleyn and Michael Milne before kick‑off, and early lineout issues proved costly.
Saracens thumped Clermont Auvergne 47-10 at the StoneX Stadium, with Argentina centre Lucio Cinti scoring twice as part of a seven‑try display. A dominant first half set the tone and teenage winger Noah Caluori added a second‑half score, his seventh of the season.
Leicester Tigers, featuring several Champions Cup debutants, were beaten 39-20 by La Rochelle in France. La Rochelle led early through Jules Favre and Oscar Jegou, and Ihaia West’s kicking helped them extend their advantage. Quickfire second‑half tries from UJ Seuteni and Nathan Bollengier sealed a bonus‑point win for the experienced French side.
Leinster opened with a 45-28 win over a weakened Harlequins at the Aviva Stadium. Leinster led 24-7 at half‑time thanks to Garry Ringrose, Ciaran Frawley and a Jordan Larmour double, and they finished strongly with seven tries overall as Tommy O’Brien, Jack Conan and Jimmy O’Brien crossed late. Harlequins — who left Marcus Smith, Fin Baxter, Chandler Cunningham‑South and Jack Kenningham out of their selection — stayed close for much of the match, with Luke Northmore and Cassius Cleaves scoring and Oscar Beard grabbing a late four‑try bonus consolation. Both teams finished with 14 players after second‑half sendings‑off.
Bristol Bears held on for a 17-16 win at Scarlets in Llanelli. Bill Mata scored twice and Louis Rees‑Zammit added a try as Pat Lam’s side edged a tight contest on the road.
Champions Cup holders Bordeaux‑Bègles began their defence with a 46-33 victory over the Bulls in Pretoria. Damian Penaud, Louis Bielle‑Biarrey (two), Maxime Lamothe, Boris Palu, Matthieu Jalibert and Salesi Rayasi all crossed as the French side coped with altitude and came away with a commanding win.