It was the French who caught the eye in round one with six of their eight teams winning, including Stade Rochelais and Toulon away from home.
Sharks head coach John Plumtree has named seven World Cup-winning South Africa internationals in his starting XV to face ASM Clermont Auvergne in the Challenge Cup semi-final on Saturday at the Twickenham Stoop.
At the time of the squads being announced for the 2021 British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa, we decided to create our own hypothetical addition to the tour, U21 squads for each side.
Budgets, players to watch, arrivals and departures - and an overview of each club at the start of the new season. Welcome to the Rugby Pass club-by-club Top 14 season preview