Heineken Cup: Round One wrap

Pool 1
Leinster started their campaign on a high beating the Ospreys 19-9 at the Liberty Stadium.
Dan Biggar put the host 6-0 in front but two penalties from Jimmy Gopperth and a try from Sean O’Brien put the three-times champions 13-6 in front at the interval.
Biggar reduced the gap soon after the restart but Gopperth got Leinster home with his third and fourth.
Over in Castres, Northampton also secured the losing bonus-point against the reigning Top14 champions narrowly losing 19-13.
Romain Martial went over early for the French while the boot of Rory Kockott helped them to a 13-3 lead at half-time.
Despite another one from Kockott, captain Dylan Hartley lead from the front reducing the deficit but two more penalties from the South African eventually clinched it.
Pool 2
Exeter scored six tries in a frantic first half to claim a 44-29 bonus-point win over the Cardiff Blues at Sandy Park today.
England flanker Tom Johnson put the Chiefs on the scoreboard early but it was three tries in five minutes that took the game by storm just before the half hour.
FIrst captain Dean Mumm went over before wingers Matt Jess and Fetu’u Vainikolo secured the try bonus-point extending the gap to 29-3.
The home side weren’t done though as Ben White added a fifth just before the break for an ashtonishing 36-3 lead.
Ian Whitten made it 44-3 but as they took their foot off the pedal, the Blues eventually got into the game and even secured the try bonus-point as Lloyd Williams, Robin Copeland, Alex Cuthbert and Harry Robinson all went over in the space of 15 minutes.
Meanwhile in Toulon, the Heineken Cup champions thumped the Glasgow Warriors 51-28 at the Stade Mayol.
France centre Maxime Mermoz grabbed a first half double while Delon Armitage and Chris Masoe also went over to storm to a 34-0 lead at the break.
Canadian winger DTH van der Merwe put the Scots on the board early but Matt Giteau scored his first try of the game to put the French back on the front foot.
Three tries in ten minutes through Nikola Matawalu, Jonny Gray and Van der Merwe helped the Scots to a consolation try bonus-point but Toulon and Giteau had the last word as the former Wallaby went over with two minutes left on the clock.
Pool 3
On Friday, Saracens were pushed all the way but made a winning start to their Heineken Cup campaign with a 23-17 win in Connacht.
Chris Wyles and Chris Ashton helped the Premiership leaders to a 14-3 lead after 10 minutes but the Irish reacted well through Kieran Marmion and Danie Poolman to see the score leveled at 17-17 at the break.
The second half was nip and tuck but Owen Farrell kicked two penalties to seal the deal.
In France, Toulouse ran in six tries to secure the try-bonus point win over Zebre for a final score of 38-5.
Pool 4
Harlequins started their European campaign with yet another home defeat this time to the hands of the Scarlets today.
The Welsh side took a 13-0 after only 15 minutes thanks to a try from Rhodri Williams and eight points from the boot of Rhys Priestland.
Quins came back to 10-13 thanks to a try from Mike Brown but Scott Williams went over on stroke of half-time to make it 20-10 at the break.
Nick Evans kicked three penalties to two from Priestland to reduce the gap but Jordan Williams crossed the withewash on the hour mark for the Welshmen’s third try.
Brown grabbed his second as the hosts looked for a comeback but they had to settle for the losing bonus-point going down 33-26.
Racing Metro came out victors of the all-French affair on Sunday beating Clermont 13-9 in Colombes.
Jonny Sexton kicked a penalty but, with three of his own, Morgan Parra put last year’s finalists 9-3 in front at the interval.
Marc Andreu raced nearly the length of the field for the opening try of the game while Jonny Sexton’s conversion put the Parisians in front.
Racing managed to keep Clermont at bay for the rest of the game while Sexton’s second penalty ensured the four points.
Pool 5
Ulster showed true grit beating Leicester 22-16 in another very tight game.
Logovi’i Mulipola put the Tigers in front early but Tommy Bowe replied in style for the Irish.
They went into half-time 13-10 in front as Paddy Jackson kicked two penalties against one from Toby Flood.
Flood leveled the score again with his second penalty but a yellow card to Jordan Crane proved to be the turning point of the game.
During the next ten minutes, Jackson slotted three penalties to put the Ulstermen in control.
Owen Williams made sure the English side picked up the vital losing bonus-point though with a penalty four minutes from time.
In Italy, Montpellier claimed a vital away 27-10 win in Treviso.
The French side lead 9-3 at half-time thanks to three penalties from Benoit Paillaugues against one from Tobias Botes.
Paillaugues gave some room to Montpellier with his fourth penalty before his replacement Jonathan Pelissie slotted one and converting his own try to make it 22-3 with 15 minutes to go.
Thomas Cambezou went over for good measure before Christian Loamanu grabbed a consolation try for the Italians.
Pool 6
Jonny May scored a late try as Gloucester beat Perpignan 27-22 at Kingsholm.
James Hook, who scored all the French points, converted his own try on the first minute before adding two penalties to take a 13-9 advantage into half-time.
Billy Twelvetrees with the boot and Jimmy Cowan with a try put the hosts 16-13 in front but another two penalties and a drop goal from Hook looked to have sealed it for the French until May’s try five minutes from time and another penalty from Twelvetrees.
Tim Visser scored a late try to help Edinburgh beat Munster 29-23 at Murrayfield today.
Munster crossed the line twice through Casey Laulala and Mike Sherry but it was Edinburgh who went into the break 19-17 in front as Greig Laidlaw kicked 14 points from the tee on top of an early try from Matt Scott.
Ian Keatley put the Munstermen in front with two penalties but Visser’s late try brought the goods home for the Scots but Munster will go back to Thomond Park with a losing bonus-point in the bag.
Laidlaw rounded up his fine personal display with five minutes to go with a penalty.