Bath Rugby underlined its Investec Champions Cup intent with a six-try statement away to Castres on Friday, while Edinburgh roared back from a 13-point halftime deficit to stun Gloucester and keep Pool 2 wide open going into the final round.

Bath won 43-20 at Stade Pierre Fabre, running in tries through Cameron Redpath, Tom Dunn, Beno Obano, Ted Hill, Will Muir and Tom Carr Smith to move to two wins from three in pool play. 

After leading 21-17 at the break in heavy conditions, Johann van Graan’s side tightened its grip after halftime, leaning on forward power and territory, before the finishing kick arrived late. 

The win steadied Bath after last month’s setback at Toulon and showed the squad can travel in Europe.

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Edinburgh, also in Pool 2, boosted its qualification push by beating Gloucester 26-24 at Hive Stadium. 

Gloucester led 18-5 at halftime after tries from Josh Hathaway and Charlie Atkinson, but Edinburgh controlled the third quarter and finally cracked the visitors when hooker Ewan Ashman forced his way through. 

Liam McConnell’s try under the posts dragged Edinburgh within striking distance, and a late penalty try swung the contest, as the home side produced 14 unanswered points after the break.

Elsewhere in the Champions Cup, Leinster continued its run of narrow escapes by edging La Rochelle 25-24 in Dublin. 

Leinster’s composure in the closing moments again proved decisive, delivering a third straight win that keeps its momentum rolling into Round 4. 

In Pool 1, Sale handled the Sharks 26-10, while Glasgow stayed unbeaten by winning 33-21 away to Clermont. 

In Pool 4, Bristol outlasted the Bulls in a wild 110 point shootout, winning 61-49 in Pretoria, and Pau earned its first win with a 47-38 victory at Scarlets.

Sunday’s headline acts came with heavyweight name value and a clear sense of consequence. 

Saracens beat Toulouse 20-14 in London, defending for long spells to hand the six-time champions a second defeat and keep Pool 1 tense. 

Union Bordeaux Bègles delivered a reminder of its ceiling, beating the Northampton Saints 50-28 with eight tries in a performance that looked every bit like a knockout rehearsal. 

Harlequins produced the most emphatic scoreline of the weekend, smashing the previously unbeaten Stormers 61-10, as the London club piled on nine tries. 

Toulon then held off Munster 27-25 at Stade Mayol in a finish that swung late with a controversial penalty and left the pool math even more crowded.

The EPCR Challenge Cup delivered its own shakeups, particularly in Pool 2, where the Emirates Lions edged Lyon 42-33, and the Newcastle Red Bulls beat Perpignan 26-19. 

Benetton posted one of the biggest scores of the weekend across both competitions, routing Dragons 74-21. 

In Pool 1, Montpellier nipped Connacht 33-31, and Zebre beat Ospreys 23-19, while in Pool 3, Ulster was awarded a 28-0 victory over the Cheetahs due to the South African side's Dutch 'home stadium' being deemed unplayable. 

Closing out the action, Stade Francais beat Exeter 27-25 in a titanic tussle.

Japan Rugby League One resumed after the New Year's break with another weekend that underscored why the competition remains a tricky fit for global comparisons. 

Urayasu D Rocks earned a 28-22 win over the Yokohama Canon Eagles, the Saitama Wild Knights pulled away to beat the Shizuoka BlueRevs 37-22, and Kubota Spears stayed unbeaten with a 45-21 win over Mie Honda Heat. 

The Kobe Steelers snatched a late 22-20 win over Tokyo Sungoliath, Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo beat the Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars 47-22, and BlackRams Tokyo rallied to beat Toyota Verblitz 37-29 after trailing at halftime.

The power rankings reflect all of it. 

Big European away wins and Champions Cup results tend to move the needle more than domestic games, while blowouts get capped, so one freak scoreline cannot break the system. That context matters when Japanese clubs climb quickly early in the season on a low match count, even with strong results.

Power Rankings Model Breakdown 

This power rankings system uses a single global Elo rating. Every team starts on the same baseline, and each finished match adjusts the two teams up or down based on the expected result. 

Home advantage is built in, so away wins earn a bigger reward than home wins, and home losses are punished more. The size of the rating change is driven by a K value that is higher early in a team’s season and gradually decreases as the sample grows. 

Each competition also has a weight, so results in stronger competitions carry more value than those in weaker ones. Margin of victory matters, but it is capped, so a 60-point blowout does not create unrealistic jumps. 

Finally, “upsets” matter. If the underdog wins based on pre-match ratings, the rating swing increases. The goal is a system that reacts to results but stays stable over time.

FloRugby's Professional Club Power Rankings: Jan. 14, 2026

1. Bristol Bears 1,652
2. Glasgow Warriors 1,644
3. DHL Stormers 1,639
4. Leinster 1,626
5. Northampton Saints 1,620
6. Bath 1,601
7. Saitama Wild Knights 1,582
8. Ulster 1,580
9. Bordeaux Bègles 1,580
10. Kubota Spears 1,575
11. Toulon 1,562
12. Stade Francais 1,560
13. Exeter Chiefs 1,558
14. Pau 1,557
15. Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo 1,548
16. Kobelco Kobe Steelers 1,548
17. Racing 92 1,546
18. Edinburgh 1,544
19. Toulouse 1,540
20. Urayasu D Rocks 1,537
21. Leicester Tigers 1,528
22. Cardiff Rugby 1,524
23. La Rochelle 1,523
24. Saracens 1,521
25. Munster 1,519
26. Sale Sharks 1,518
27. Emirates Lions 1,500
28. Black Rams Tokyo 1,504
29. Benetton 1,499
30. Montpellier 1,499
31. Tokyo Sungoliath 1,495
32. Harlequins 1,492
33. Castres 1,482
34. Ospreys 1,481
35. Bayonne 1,480
36. Newcastle Red Bulls 1,473
37. Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars 1,459
38. Black Lion 1,458
39. Toyota Verblitz 1,447
40. ASM Clermont Auvergne 1,447
41. Shizuoka BlueRevs 1,438
42. Hollywoodbets Sharks 1,433
43. Zebre 1,433
44.  Dragons 1,421
45. Yokohama Canon Eagles 1,420
46. Vodacom Bulls 1417
47. MIE Honda Heat 1,412
48. Connacht 1,410
49. Scarlets 1,401
50. Lyon 1,399
51. Cheetahs 1,390
52. Gloucester Rugby 1,389
53. Perpignan 1,387
54. Montauban 1,294

How To Watch Investec Champions Cup Round 4 Matches

All Investec Champions Cup matches stream live on FloRugby and the FloSports app. 

Investec Champions Cup Round 4 Fixtures

Friday, Jan. 16

• 3 p.m. ET: Pau vs. Vodacom Bulls, Stade du Hameau
• 3 p.m. ET: Bath Rugby vs. Edinburgh Rugby, The Rec

Saturday, Jan. 17

• 8 a.m. ET: Hollywoodbets Sharks vs. Clermont Auvergne, Hollywoodbets Kings Park
• 10:15 a.m. ET: Bayonne vs. Leinster Rugby, Stade Jean Dauger
• 10:15 a.m. ET: DHL Stormers vs. Leicester Tigers, DHL Stadium
• 12:30 p.m. ET: Toulouse vs. Sale Sharks, Stade Ernest Wallon
• 12:30 p.m. ET: Munster Rugby vs. Castres Olympique, Thomond Park
• 3 p.m. ET: Gloucester Rugby vs. Toulon, Kingsholm

Sunday, Jan. 18

• 8 a.m. ET: Bristol Bears vs. Bordeaux-Bègles, Ashton Gate
• 10:15 a.m. ET: Northampton Saints vs. Scarlets, cinch Stadium @ Franklin’s Gardens
• 10:15 a.m. ET: La Rochelle vs. Harlequins, Stade Marcel Deflandre
• 12:30 p.m. ET: Glasgow Warriors vs. Saracens, Scotstoun Stadium

How To Watch EPCR Challenge Cup Round 4 Matches

All EPCR Challenge Cup matches stream live on FloRugby and the FloSports app. 

EPCR Challenge Cup Round 4 Fixtures

Fri, Jan. 16, 2026

• 2 p.m. ET: Dragons RFC vs. Newcastle Red Bulls, Rodney Parade

Sat, Jan. 17, 2026

• 7 a.m. ET: Ulster Rugby vs. Stade Français Paris, Affidea Stadium
• 7 a.m. ET: Black Lion vs. Zebre Parma, Mikheil Meskhi Stadium
• 11:30 a.m. ET: Perpignan vs. Lions, Stade Aimé Giral
• 2 p.m. ET: Connacht Rugby vs. US Montauban, Dexcom Stadium
• 2 p.m. ET: Ospreys vs. Montpellier Hérault Rugby, Dunraven Brewery Field

Sun, Jan. 18, 2026

• 7 a.m. ET: Exeter Chiefs vs. Cardiff Rugby, Sandy Park
• 7 a.m. ET: Lyon O.U. vs. Benetton Rugby, Matmut Stadium de Gerland
• 11:30 a.m. ET: Racing 92 vs. Toyota Cheetahs, Paris La Défense Arena

How To Watch Rugby Matches In The United States On FloRugby

The URC will stream all its matches on FloRugby and the FloSports app in the United States. FloRugby and FloSports also are the U.S. home to: 

• Gallagher PREM Rugby
• Investec Champions Cup
• EPCR Challenge Cup
• Currie Cup
• Top 14
• Super Rugby
• And more

FloRugby also is home to match archives and match replays. 

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