Jamie Roberts scored a hat-trick of tries as Harlequins, last season’s beaten finalists, went top of Pool Five with a 75-3 thrashing of 14-man Timisoara Saracens.
In Pool Two, Ospreys also racked up more than 70 points against Grenoble. Two tries from Scott Baldwin and one each from Olly Cracknell, Ashley Beck and Dan Evans helped hoist Ospreys into a 33-3 interval lead. Brendon Leonard, Dan Biggar, Scott Otten and Hanno Dirksen (2) and a second score from Evans completed the 71-3 win.
It was a much closer affair in the Pool One clash between Benetton Treviso and Bayonne, the Italian hosts winning 21-17. Tommaso Allan, the Italy fly-half who rejected the chance to play for Scotland, converted all three of Treviso’s tries. In Pool One’s other game, Gloucester crashed to a 42-13 defeat in La Rochelle, the French side running in six tries to go top of the table. John Afoa scored Gloucester’s only try.
On Friday night Newport Gwent Dragons battled to a 22-7 victory over a brave 14-man Worcester side to keep their European Challenge Cup hopes alive. The Warriors had flanker Sam Betty sent off for a punch after just 15 minutes.
Man of the match Tavis Knoyle, Tyler Morgan and Sam Hobbs crossed for the Welsh region with Angus O’Brien adding seven points.
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Worcester’s early opening try came from Connor Braid but they rarely threatened to repeat their dominance at Sixways.
The Dragons had to make four late changes in their squad because of illness, with international forwards T Rhys Thomas and Cory Hill among those dropping out, while the visitors had seven forwards on the bench.
Worcester struck inside two minutes as Canadian fly-half Braid was awarded the touchdown, converting it himself, following a kick and chase from halfway.
But Knoyle’s corner scramble, converted by O’Brien, levelled the scores after a scorching break from Rhys Jones.
Betty’s red card spurred the visitors on to the attack, with a sin-bin for home flanker Ollie Griffiths for collapsing a maul levelling the numbers temporarily.
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O’Brien’s 25th-minute penalty was the only other score of a scrappy first half to nudge the Dragons ahead 10-7.
The stalemate was broken as Wales centre Morgan cut through to score on 50 minutes, moments after coming on for a limping Jones.
Prop Hobbs then drove over from close quarters with O’Brien’s conversion putting the Dragons three scores ahead at 22-7 going into the last quarter.
Adam Warren twice crossed the line before being recalled for knock-ons, while replacement Sarel Pretorius could not finish a late break as the clock passed 80 minutes.
It left the Dragons short of a bonus point despite their second-half dominance, but still second in the group on points difference.
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Brive top the group after a bonus-point 38-18 win over Russian side Enisei-STM, putting the French club five points ahead of the Dragons and Enisei with two games to play.
Tom Varndell scored a hat-trick as Bristol came from behind to beat Pau 28-18.
Varndell scored his first just before the break after Thibault Dabagna and Jale Vatubua had cancelled out Jack Wallace’s early try for Bristol.
With the hosts down to 13 men after Romain Buros and Matthew Tierney were sin-binned, Varndell touched down for his second of the night.
The wing completed his treble with 10 minutes to go as Bristol completed the double over the French Top 14 side.