Overview
- Leinster overturned a 15-6 half-time deficit to win 23-15 at Welford Road, scoring 17 unanswered points through Jamison Gibson-Park and Dan Sheehan.
- Tadhg Furlong was ruled out pre-match with illness, then Jack Conan failed an early head injury assessment and Jimmy O’Brien departed with a knock.
- Harry Byrne returned at fly-half and Rieko Ioane made his first Leinster start, while James Ryan marked his 99th club appearance on his comeback.
- South African sides recalibrated for round two, with the Sharks recalling multiple Springboks as Andre Esterhuizen captains on his 100th appearance, and the Stormers reinstating several internationals to face La Rochelle.
- Toulouse’s Champions Cup push unfolds under an LNR disciplinary probe into the 2022 Melvyn Jaminet transfer, with a potential Top 14 points deduction still pending.