Investec Champions Cup: Leinster earn statement win over Sale Sharks after Stormers stun La Rochelle at the death

Leinster’s Ireland stars helped them make it two from two in the Investec Champions Cup and take control of the ‘Pool of Death’ with a 37-27 win over Sale Sharks, after champions La Rochelle suffered a last-gasp defeat away to the Stormers.

Josh van der Flier, Jamison Gibson-Park, Robbie Henshaw, Ryan Baird and Cian Healy crossed the try line in Dublin as the team that finished runners-up in the last two seasons made an early statement against the Gallagher Premiership leaders.

Leinster moved top of a ferociously competitive Pool 4 with nine points from a possible 10, having beaten La Rochelle in a repeat of the last two seasons’ finals in their opener last weekend.

The Irish side edged into a 6-3 lead early on as the two sides exchanged penalties, after Van der Flier was denied an opening try when a TMO review picked up on an earlier knock-on.

But the Sharks seized control in style when Raffi Quirke put a short kick through the defence for Connor Doherty to charge through and go under the sticks to stun the RDS Arena.

But Ciaran Frawley soon reduced the deficit, and on the brink of half-time the momentum swung in the hosts’ favour when James Harper was sent to the sin bin and Van der Flier immediately pounced by powering over the try line.

A missed Frawley conversion meant Sale went in at the break with a 13-11 lead, but it didn’t last long in the second half as Ireland team-mates Van der Flier and Gibson-Park combined to restore Leinster’s advantage, the scrum-half sprinting clear to score in the corner.

Another of the Dublin side’s international stars, Henshaw, had too much power for the Sharks defence when he powered through the sticks to give his side some breathing space with a 10-point lead heading towards the final quarter.

Baird stretched across from close range to secure the bonus point and take the game out of Sale’s sights, before replacement prop Healy added a fifth try for the rampant hosts.

But Sale finished strongly, with Tommy Taylor scoring late on before Tom Curtis ran in a wonderful try with the clock in the red to finish with a flourish.

In Cape Town, two-time defending champions La Rochelle were stunned as Manie Libbok’s last-minute conversion sealed a dramatic 21-20 win for the DHL Stormers that leaves the French giants on the verge of a shock early exit.

South Africa stars Libbok, Deon Fourie and Damian Willemse were back in the mix for the hosts but they lagged behind for almost all of the Pool 4 clash until an astonishing climax unfolded.

La Rochelle lost their opening game to Leinster last weekend but a try from Tawera Kerr-Barlow and eight points from the boot of Antoine Hastoy gave them a 13-6 lead at the break.

Yoan Tanga’s score early in the second half extended their advantage but the Stormers narrowed the deficit with a Ben Loader try to make it a six-point game with half an hour to go.

Neither side could move the scoreboard until all hell broke loose in the final five minutes.

Joel Sclavi was sent to the sin bin for the visitors and Andre-Hugo Venter crossed the try line, before Libbok’s stunning conversion from the touchline sealed a one-point victory.

Saracens reignited their Champions Cup campaign with a 55-36 win at home to Connacht.

Three-time champions Sarries were soundly beaten by the Vodacom Bulls in their opening match and faced a Connacht side stinging from a 36-point home loss to Bordeaux-Begles.

Braces from England hooker Jamie George and youngster Olly Hartley helped Sarries to a comfortable victory at the StoneX Stadium and keeps Connacht rooted to the bottom of Pool 1.

Sarries got off to the perfect start when Juan Martin Gonzalez scored a wonderful individual try, grabbing a fortuitously bouncing Owen Farrell grubber kick 10 metres out before powering through several defenders and over the line.

Connacht’s response was quick and clinical as they scored twice in 12 minutes either side of a Farrell penalty, Bundee Aki driving over and Caolin Blade sniping across the line to give the Irish visitors a six-point lead.

Jack Carty extended that to nine points from the boot, but the hosts, and particularly George, came to life late in the first half as the veteran twice crossed the whitewash from the back of a rolling maul to give Sarries a 21-17 lead at the break.

Saracens put their foot on the accelerator after the break as Hartley, Sean Maitland and Lucio Cinti scored in the space of 15 minutes, helped by a yellow card shown to Cian Prendergast following Hartley’s score.

Maro Itoje was also sent to the bin going into the final quarter after a head-on-head collision and Connacht replacement JJ Hanrahan burst under the sticks, assisted by a sensational Aki offload at the touchline, but it was a fleeting moment of hope before Hartley flew through to meet a kick and score his second of the afternoon on his European debut.

The Irish side wouldn’t give up the fight as substitute Joe Joyce stretched over to score and Prendergast added a late consolation either side of Theo Dan's driving maul try for Saracens.

Elsewhere, a much-changed Bristol Bears side fell to a handsome 36-17 defeat away to Union Bordeaux-Begles in a one-sided Pool 1 contest.

Pat Lam heavily rotated the team that earned a late win over Lyon in their European opener last weekend and the new-look side were outclassed by the star-studded hosts.

Bordeaux earned a second consecutive Pool win with relative ease as France internationals Maxime Lucu, Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud crossed the try line in the first half for a 22-3 lead.

They piled on the misery after the break with further scores from Ben Tapuai and Theo Nanette, although it was a more even half thanks to James Dun and Oscar Lennon’s converted efforts from the visitors.

Bordeaux-Begles sit top of Pool 1 with a perfect 10 points, three ahead of Lyon.

Lyon bounced back from their opening defeat to Bristol by earning a thrilling 29-28 win over the Vodacom Bulls.

The French side ran in five tries in a game where they trailed for much of the match, but Thibaut Regard's score with nine minutes left proved decisive.

Jaco van der Walt had the chance to win it from the tee with five minutes left on the clock, but the Bulls fly-half couldn't convert his penalty.

The South African side earned a handsome win over Saracens in their opening game but now find themselves five points behind Pool 1 leaders Bordeaux-Begles.

It was a precious second win in as many weeks for Bath, as they eked out a narrow 39-32 victory over Cardiff.

The visitors took the full five points in an end-to-end encounter, as the hosts also earned two bonus points for their efforts as they just fell short at the Cardiff Arms Park.

Cardiff snatched first blood in the opening five minutes as Josh Adams crossed after some scrappy Bath defending following a Tinus de Beer chip and chase, but they were pegged back within four minutes as Cokanasiga went over in the corner, followed in soon after by Ollie Lawrence, who drove over to turn the tables just after the first quarter-hour.

Adams added his second to put Cardiff's noses in front once more after fantastic work from Tomos Williams at the breakdown, but again, Bath responded almost immediately, as Alfie Barbeary slid over the whitewash to level once more.

Tom Dunn put Bath in the driving seat eight minutes before the break, as he forced his way over from the back of a lineout, but it was the home side who would go in a point ahead through former Bath man Gabe Hamer-Webb's try.

Expert handling down the line resulted in a Ben Thomas score to open the second half account, but Finn Russell's penalty kept Bath within touching distance.

They edged in front when Jaco Coetzee romped to the line with three defenders hanging off him, and the final nail in the Cardiff coffin was hammered home as Coetzee notched his second, following a great break from Cokanasiga to set the South African back row up for the dot-down.

Elsewhere, Ulster got back to winning ways with a 31-15 win over Racing 92.

Nick Timoney crossed early to set them on their way, before Stuart McCloskey span away to touch down and double the advantage.

Nolann Le Garrec put the French side back in contention after an excellent Juan Imhoff gather from Antoine Gilbert's cross-field kick, but there was still time for one final Ulster try before the interval, as Matty Rea slid over in the corner to send the hosts in 21-5 up.

Timoney had his second of the game to extend the advantage, but Janick Tarrit dotted down to remind the hosts of Racing's threat.

Tarrit had his second as the French side threatened a comeback, but Le Garrec's missed conversion was where their scoring was curtailed.

A final penalty from John Cooney added the icing on the cake, and Ulster celebrate a first win of their European campaign.

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