Munster beat Racing amid Foley tributes as Saracens and Bath suffer defeats — SkimNews
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- Munster beat Racing 92 33-25 at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on the 10th anniversary of head coach Anthony Foley's death at age 42 in Paris, crossing for five tries through Brian Gleeson (wearing #24 after Foley's #8 was retired), Shay McCarthy, Tadhg Beirne, Fineen Wycherley and Craig Casey
- Racing 92 scored three tries through Wilfried Hulleu, Maxime Machenaud and Joseph Manu, denying the hosts a bonus point under the tournament's new rule requiring teams to score three more tries than their opponents
- Glasgow Warriors pulled away for a 47-27 win at Sale Sharks, clinching the bonus point with late tries from Rory Darge, Ollie Smith and debutant Otavio Tuipulotu after Rekeiti Ma'asi-White had cut the deficit to four
- Leinster opened their campaign with a 48-23 rout of Clermont Auvergne, scoring seven tries through Tadhg Furlong, Dan Sheehan (two), Sam Prendergast, Jack Conan, Tommy O'Brien and a penalty try
- Connacht stunned Saracens 45-36 in Galway with seven tries including two each from Cian Prendergast and Ciaran Frawley, while Bath fell 32-14 at home to Montpellier at the Rec
- La Rochelle beat the Lions 31-14 a day after the death of South African lock Hyron Andrews in France, with players visibly emotional as Andrews' No. 5 jersey was laid on the pitch during a pre-match tribute
Why it matters: Glasgow (47-27 at Sale) and Leinster (48-23 at Clermont) both posted bonus-point road wins to open their campaigns in style, while Saracens and Bath's defeats leave them playing catch-up from round one. The weekend's emotional centerpieces — Foley's 10-year tribute in Cork and the Lions' grief for teammate Andrews at La Rochelle — gave the opening round a human weight that cut through the routine scorelines.
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