Sharks beat Harlequins 39-31 to record first South African success in the Heineken Champions Cup; Leinster start with impressive 42-10 win against Racing 92; Gloucester fight back to beat Bordeaux Begles; Northampton beaten 46-12 by holders La Rochelle; Exeter win 27-12 at Castres
Last Updated: 10/12/22 10:20pm
Ox Nche’s sending-off did not stop Sharks becoming the first South African team to win a Heineken Champions Cup match
Harlequins opened their Heineken Champions Cup campaign with a defeat as Sharks became the first South African team to record a victory in the competition.
Quins were beaten 39-31 in Durban in the first fixture to feature one of the three South African teams admitted to this season’s tournament.The home side’s win came despite a 60th-minute red card for prop Ox Nche, dished out following a head-on collision, and with a man extra Quins closed to within a point at 32-31 when Josh Bassett went over for his second try. Breathing space was restored thanks to full-back Boeta Chamberlain’s score, and Sharks saw the Pool A game out for a bonus-point victory; Quins’ five tries – including another double, for Andre Esterhuizen – meant they headed back north with a bonus point of their own.Quins head coach Tabai Matson said: “We have given them too many penalties and gave them too many opportunities, and good teams take them. We missed our own opportunities in the game to play our game, so it will be frustrating when we debrief the game.”Bulls later added a second South African win as they held off a Lyon fightback to win 42-36 in Pretoria, and there was a standout performance from Leinster, who hit the ground running with an impressive 42-10 win at Racing 92.A concert scheduled for the French side’s Paris stadium meant the game was played at Le Havre and, without genuine home advantage, Racing were no match for their Irish visitors. …