Investec Champions Cup: Bulls & Stormers make their mark as Lions play through grief

South Africa’s Investec Champions Cup opening day belonged to the Bulls and Stormers. Both made home advantage count, both collected five match points, and both sent a message that they intend to matter in this competition. The Lions debut carried a different weight.

Bulls, Stormers & Lions – Investec Champions Cup

They went to La Rochelle 48 hours after the death of teammate Hyron Andrews, and played their first Investec Champions Cup match in his honour. Their 31-14 defeat was a secondary detail on a day when the game asked more of them than a scoreline can measure.

The Bulls delivered the biggest South African score, beating Stade Français 56-20 at Loftus Versfeld. They scored eight tries, with 20-year-old wing Cheswill Jooste crossing three times. Handre Pollard kicked eigtht conversions from eight attempts.

The Bulls collected the full five match points and gave their home crowd a decisive, if inconsistent European performance.

The scoreline was emphatic, but the manner of the win matters. Bulls coach Johan Ackermann identified the second-half execution as the difference. He felt the Bulls turned pressure into tries and punished a side that could not sustain its resistance.

The Stormers had to negotiate a more complicated afternoon. They beat Bristol 49-12, scoring seven tries and securing the bonus point, but spent time under severe pressure after a 20-minute red card to JJ Kotzé and a spell with only 13 players. Bristol scored twice. The Stormers answered, then took control when they returned to full strength.

That response gives the win substance, but as was the case earlier in Pretoria, both Stade Francais and Bristol fielded very weakened match 23s.

For the Stormers Leolin Zas and Jonathan Roche scored two tries each, while Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted all seven. Seabelo Senatla opened the scoring, and replacements Warrick Gelant and André-Hugo Venter added tries as the Stormers finished strongly. They managed the numerical disadvantage, kept their heads and turned a potential banana skin into a 37-point victory.

The warning is that Bristol arrived with an inexperienced side, and the Stormers’ discipline briefly gave the visitors a route into the game. The result was strong, but the first hour control was not complete. The response, though, showed the depth and attacking threat John Dobson needs if this team is to go further than last season’s Round of 16 exit.

For the South African sides, the opening round offered three different tests. The Bulls had to turn a strong start into a statement win. The Stormers had to cope with disruption and finish the job. The Lions had to take the field in circumstances no team should face.

The opening night had already reminded everyone what this tournament can produce: Gloucester held defending champions Bordeaux to a draw in a five-try contest that set a high bar for the weekend. Saturday brought the familiar Champions Cup mix of home dominance, away pressure and a result shaped by more than reputation.

South Africa ended Saturday with 10 match points from the Bulls and Stormers, and a difficult debut for the Lions. The two home sides have given themselves the start they needed and the Lions will carry the memory of Andrews into the weeks and seaons ahead.