The Johannesburg-based Lions put up a gritty fight on an emotional Champions Cup debut but came up short 31-14 at La Rochelle as both sides paid tribute to the South African lock Hyron Andrews, who died suddenly at the team’s hotel in western France.
The whole stadium observed a minute’s silence while Andrews’s No 5 shirt was laid on the pitch before kick-off. La Rochelle’s three South African players presented a jersey to their visitors in memory of the player, who died on Friday at Lions’ hotel on the nearby Ile de Ré. A source close to the investigation said that Andrews, who was 31, was found in cardiac arrest in a shower cubicle that was locked from the inside.
The wingers Tevita Ofa and Davit Niniashvili were on the scoresheet in the first half for hosts La Rochelle, who led 19-14 as Lions replied through Henco van Wyk and Morné Brandon. Second-half scores from Australia hooker Silatolu Latu and Fijian winger Avakuki Niusalelekitoga earned La Rochelle a bonus point.
In the other game in Pool 2, Cian Prendergast and Ciaran Frawley scored two tries apiece as Connacht defeated Saracens 45-36 in a thriller. Saracens made the better start and opened up a 12-0 lead through tries from Sione Vaenuku and Noah Caluori but the Irish side came storming back.
Three tries in 12 minutes from Prendergast, Cathal Forde and Shamus Hurley-Langton put them in front, but the latter was sent to the sin-bin just before half-time and Nick Tompkins capitalised to make it 19-19 at the break. It remained nip and tuck as Prendergast went over for his second only for Rotimi Segun to find a swift reply. Frawley was next to cross before Vaenuku grabbed his second but tries from Caolin Blade and Frawley’s second helped Connacht open up a 14-point gap.
That was reduced to nine when Elliot Daly scored Saracens’ sixth try following a yellow card for Prendergast but Owen Farrell missed the conversion to deny them a bonus point.
Glasgow Warriors extended their unbeaten start to the new season by pulling away to claim an impressive 47-27 win at Sale in Pool 1. Glasgow’s winning score looked convincing, but they secured victory in the final 20 minutes after Rekeiti Ma’asi-White had temporarily reduced Sale’s deficit to four.
The hosts had made all the running in the early stages and were 12 points up inside the first 10 minutes thanks to tries from Ben Curry and Arron Reed. The visitors hit back through a penalty try and further efforts from Kyle Steyn and Jamie Dobie to carve out a 21-15 lead at the interval.
The game looked in the balance until late tries from Rory Darge, Ollie Smith and debutant Tavi Tuipulotu helped Glasgow pull away and wrap up a bonus-point win. Glasgow host Pau in their next Champions Cup encounter while Sale travel to Leinster for a tricky test in mid-December.
Also in Pool 1, Leinster produced a fine second-half display as the Irish side recorded a bonus-point 48-23 win against Clermont at the Stade Marcel-Michelin.
Tadhg Furlong and Dan Sheehan both scored tries for Leinster in the opening period, but the visitors trailed 16-15 at the interval after a Joris Jurand try and 11 points from Harry Plummer’s boot. Sam Prendergast crossed for Leinster moments after the half-time break and they took full control when Clermont collapsed a scrum which handed the visitors a penalty try and led to Nohem Ez Zahouany being sent to the sin-bin.
Leinster quickly took advantage of their numerical superiority as Sheehan touched down for his second try of the afternoon. Mathys Belaubre crossed for Clermont’s second try of the day, Jack Conan quickly responded with a converted score that gave Leinster a 20-point advantage when the penalty expired. Tommy O’Brien’s 76th-minute try then added gloss to the score as the Irish side wrapped up an impressive victory on French soil.
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In Pool 3, the Stormers ran in seven tries in a 49-12 thumping of Bristol in their Champions Cup opener. The home side were on top from the start in Cape Town, with Seabelo Senatla scoring their first try in the seventh minute before Leolin Zas added a second eight minutes later.
Joe Owen broke away down the wing for a solo try for Bristol in the 22nd minute but Jonny Roche restored Stormers’ advantage before the half-hour mark. JJ Kotze was shown a 20-minute red card for head-to-head contact before the break, while a yellow card for Zas – resulting in a disallowed try – gave the Bears a significant numerical advantage that they took advantage of through a first try for the club from Sol Moody.
However, Roche then scored his second and the final 10 minutes was a horror show for Bristol as they conceded three more tries. First, Warrick Gelant crossed, then Andre-Hugo Venter got in on the act before Vas ended an eventful game with his second – with all seven tries converted by Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
Also in Pool 3, Brian Gleeson paid the perfect tribute to the late Anthony Foley, relinquishing the No 8 jersey then scoring Munster’s opening try in a 33-25 win over Racing 92. The No 8 jersey was retired for the night at Supervalu Pairc ui Chaoimh in honour of the club’s former captain and head coach, who died aged 42 on the eve of a clash between the same teams in 2016.
Gleeson instead wore No 24 and gave the Irish side a seventh-minute lead when he powered over the line. That helped his side take a 14-6 half-time lead, Shay McCarthy adding a second score. Both teams touched down three times in an expansive second half, Tadhg Beirne, Fineen Wychereley and Craig Casey for the hosts, who never surrendered the lead, while Wilfried Hulleu, Maxime Machenaud and Joey Manu responded for the French team. Charlie O’Shea converted three times on debut and Antoine Gibert kicked 10 points in a losing cause.
In Pool 4, the Bulls beat Stade Français 21-6, while Bath were dealt a second-half lesson by Montpellier as they fell to a 32-14 defeat at The Rec. The home side led 14-10 at the interval after Ollie Lawrence and Arthur Green both scored tries following Stuart Hogg’s opener.
However, Joe Cokanasiga then wasted a golden opportunity to extend Bath’s advantage after the interval and the French side capitalised. Donovan Taofifenua crossed in the corner to give Montpellier the lead before he then intercepted Finn Russell’s pass to deliver a quickfire double. Alex Becognee made the points safe for the visiting side after Josh Bayliss’s try for Bath was ruled out because of an earlier infringement.
