Heineken Champions Cup: Sharks beat Harlequins to record first South African win as Leinster and Gloucester start with victories | Rugby Union News

Sharks beat Harlequins 39-31 to record first South African success in the Heineken Champions Cup; Leinster start with impressive 42-10 win against Racing 92; Gloucester produce late comeback to beat Bordeaux Begles

Ox Nche’s sending-off did not stop Sharks becoming the first South African team to win a Heineken Champions Cup match

Harlequins opened their Heineken Champions Cup campaign with a defeat as Sharks became the first South African team to record a victory in the competition.

Quins were beaten 39-31 in Durban in the first fixture to feature one of the three South African teams admitted to this season’s tournament.

The home side’s win came despite a 60th-minute red card for prop Ox Nche, dished out following a head-on collision, and with a man extra Quins closed to within a point at 32-31 when Josh Bassett went over for his second try.

Breathing space was restored thanks to full-back Boeta Chamberlain’s score, and Sharks saw the Pool A game out for a bonus-point victory; Quins’ five tries – including another double, for Andre Esterhuizen – meant they headed back north with a bonus point of their own.

Quins head coach Tabai Matson said: “We have given them too many penalties and gave them too many opportunities, and good teams take them. We missed our own opportunities in the game to play our game, so it will be frustrating when we debrief the game.”

There was more to celebrate in Pool A for Leinster, who hit the ground running with an impressive 42-10 win at Racing 92.

A concert scheduled for the French side’s Paris stadium meant the game was played at Le Havre and, without genuine home advantage, Racing were no match for their Irish visitors.

Josh van der Flier scored two of Leinster’s six tries against Racing 92

Runners-up last season, Leinster made a statement of intent as they ran in six tries to earn a bonus point, the first of them coming through Andrew Porter seven minutes in and two more scored before the break by world player of the year Josh van der Flier.

Racing’s sole try was scored late on by former England wing Christian Wade, back in rugby following a three-year stint in the NFL.

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen said: “The lads started with great intent and it was important to score early. I had watched Racing in their recent matches and they had scored a lot of early points. They had blitzed Clermont and it was important to take that away from them.”

Elsewhere in Pool A, Gloucester recovered from a 12-point half-time deficit to start with a 22-17 win over Bordeaux Begles.

Charlie Chapman gets a hug from Jack Clement after scoring Gloucester’s match-winning try against Bordeaux Begles

Trailing 17-5 at the break after a first-half performance marked with errors, the Premiership side were still behind by that scoreline with just 16 minutes left to play.

But late tries from Albert Tuisue, Santiago Socino and Charlie Chapman – putting the finishing touches to a smart move – turned the game the way of the home side.