Munster beat Racing 92 on an emotional anniversary, a decade to the day since their fixture was postponed following the death of coach Anthony Foley in Paris; elsewhere, Leinster and Glasgow Warriors recorded emphatic wins, while Saracens and Bath suffered damaging defeats
Last Updated: 17/10/26 10:44pm
Brian Gleeson was among the try scorers as Munster beat Racing 92 in Cork on a day of emotion and tributes a decade on from the death of Anthony Foley
A decade to the day since the rugby world learned of head coach Anthony Foley’s death at the age of 42, Munster marked the poignant anniversary with a stirring 33-25 Champions Cup victory over Racing 92.
The night of Friday October 16, 2016 saw Foley pass away in his sleep the night before Munster were due to face Racing in Paris, with their fixture 10 years on staged at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork.
Munster crossed for five tries in a hard-fought contest, with No 8 Brian Gleeson, wearing 24 as Foley's retired No 8 was once again taken out of circulation, joined on the scoresheet by wing Shay McCarthy, lock Tadhg Beirne, replacement Fineen Wycherley and scrum-half Craig Casey.
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Racing responded with three tries of their own through wing Wilfried Hulleu, replacement scrum-half Maxime Machenaud and full-back Geronimo Prisciantelli, denying Munster a bonus-point victory. Under the tournament's new rules, teams must score at least three more tries than their opponents to secure the full five points.
The match came a day after the shocking death of Lions second row Hyron Andrews in France ahead of a Champions Cup fixture in La Rochelle. Emotional tributes were paid to both Andrews and Foley before kick-off.
Glasgow, Leinster post big opening away-day victories | Saracens lose at Connacht
Elsewhere, Glasgow Warriors extended their unbeaten start to the new season by pulling away to claim an impressive 47-27 win at Sale Sharks.
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Glasgow's winning score might have looked convincing but they only secured victory in the final 20 minutes after Rekeiti Ma'asi-White had temporarily reduced Sale's deficit to four.
The game looked in the balance until late tries from Rory Darge, Ollie Smith and debutant Otavio Tuipulotu helped Glasgow pull away and wrap up a precious bonus-point win.
Leinster made a flying start to their campaign with an emphatic 48-23 victory away to Clermont Auvergne. Tadhg Furlong, Dan Sheehan (two), Sam Prendergast, Jack Conan and Tommy O'Brien all crossed the line, while a penalty try completed a dominant seven-try display.
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Connacht pulled off a stunning 45-36 victory over Saracens in Galway, scoring tries through Cian Prendergast (two), Cathal Forde, Shamus Hurley-Langton, Ciaran Frawley (two) and Caolin Blade.
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Bath also endured an evening to forget as they were dispatched at home by Montpellier 32-14 at the Rec in a shock result.
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Lions face La Rochelle a day after death of team-mate Andrews
Players stood in silence, with some visibly emotional, as La Rochelle and the Johannesburg-based Lions paid tribute to South African lock Hyron Andrews before Saturday's Champions Cup clash. The 31-year-old died in France on Friday, on the eve of the fixture.
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Andrews' No 5 jersey was laid on the pitch as his full name, Hyron Diego Andrews, appeared on the stadium's big screen. Several Lions players were visibly tearful, with team-mates embracing one another and others standing with their heads tilted back and eyes closed during the emotional tribute.
La Rochelle went on to claim a 31-14 victory, with tries from Tevita Ofa (17), Oscar Jegou (30), Davit Niniashvili (39), Tolu Latu (61) and Avakuki Niusalelekitoga (76).