Ireland's Munster defeated France’s Perpignan by just one point (24-23) in Group 1 of the Heineken Cup. The victory put Munster one step closer to qualification for the next round of the European competition.
Premiership side Gloucester suffered a 42-15 whipping at the hands of Biarritz as Toulouse came back from 14-0 down to beat Harlequins 23-19 in London. Elsewhere, Irish title-holders Leinster bounced back to hand Brive their second defeat.
French champions Perpignan hit back in style with a 29-13 home win over Northampton while Sale beat the Cardiff Blues 27-26 in a tense Pool Five match.
Toulouse started their European campaign with a convincing 36-17 win against the Sale Sharks. The French side's Vincent Clerc set a new Cup record of 30 tries, beating Welshman's Dafydd James previous record.
France's heavyweights kicked off their European campaigns with mixed results, as Stade Français and Biarritz secured impressive wins over Edinburgh (31-7) and Glasgow (18-22), while Perpignan slumped to a shock defeat at minnows Treviso (9-8).
The English Premiership's in-form side, London Irish, secured a shock win in Dublin over Heineken Cup holders Leinster (9-12) in the tournament's opener. Elsewhere, Ulster overcame Bath and Gloucester squeezed past the Newport Gwent Dragons.
By beating English side Leicester 19-6, Irish province Leinster come away from Edinburgh with their first ever European Cup, and give Irish rugby another success to toast after the country's Six Nations Grand Slam earlier this year.
The English team of Leicester is hoping for a victory against Irish province Leinster in rugby's European Cup on Saturday, to give them a third European title. Leinster, meanwhile, are looking for a first competition win.
England's Northampton enjoyed a clear 15-3 win over French side Bourgoin to win the European Challenge Cup final. The victory for the Premiership club means a ticket for the next European Cup.
Germany's Werder Bremen will clash with Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk in Istanbul, where the UEFA Cup final will be played for the last time before it becomes the Europa League next season.
