The Newcastle Falcons scored an 89th-minute try to beat Montpellier 23-20, while there were European Champions Cup wins for the Glasgow Warriors and Toulouse on Sunday.
At Kingston Park, Newcastle slayed their second successive French giant to continue their excellent start to the season, beating a Montpellier side featuring a dozen internationals.
The hosts raced into a 10-0 lead thanks to a penalty from flyhalf Joel Hodgson and converted try from flank Gary Graham.
Hodgson and Montpellier scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar then traded two penalties each to allow the Falcons to go 16-6 ahead at the break.
It was the Top 14 side who started the second half the strongest as Pienaar cut the deficit to just four points with a couple of penalties. The inevitable try followed when French hopeful Paul Willemse made a disappointing week better by bundling over from a maul.
Pienaar missed the conversion but slotted a penalty before Newcastle replacement prop Logovi’i Mulipola was yellow-carded for a high tackle.
As time ran out, Montpellier were camped near Newcastle’s 22 and looked certain to secure a win but gave away a cheap penalty, allowing the hosts to enter their 22.
The Falcons faced a test of their patience on attack as they took the ball through a staggering total of 39 phases before 21-year-old flank Callum Chick made himself a hero by driving over from close range.
WRAP: Jaco heaps more misery on Toulon
In other results, defending champions Leinster were stunned by Toulouse, who claimed a 28-27 victory to condemn the visitors to their first defeat in France since April 2017.
Toulouse fullback Maxime Médard scored a try in each half, his second coming crucially in the 68th minute to put the home side ahead after they let a 21-13 lead slip to trail 27-21.
Meanwhile, the Glasgow Warriors had a far more comfortable afternoon as they scored four tries for a 29-12 bonus-point victory against the Cardiff Blues.
Champions Cup Round 2 results:
Edinburgh 40 Toulon 14
Wasps 35 Bath 35
Munster 36 Gloucester 22
Castres 29 Exeter Chiefs 25
Saracens 29 Lyon 10
Racing 44 Ulster 12
Leicester Tigers 45 Scarlets 27
Newcastle Falcons 23 Montpellier 20
Toulouse 28 Leinster 27
Cardiff Blues 12 Glasgow Warriors 29
Photo: @FalconsRugby/Twitter
