Winners and Losers from Week 1 of 2015/16 Rugby Champions Cup

Sport took a back seat last weekend with the tragic events in Paris dominating the thoughts of many.

Some fixtures in the opening round of the Champions Cup were postponed in the wake of the tragedy in the French capital, while those that did go ahead took time to remember the loss of life.

This roundup of the weekend's winners and losers bears in mind that backdrop to the rugby that was played.

Winners: Toulouse

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The scoreboard says otherwise, but credit must go to the players of Toulouse for turning out on a bleak Saturday night at Allianz Park, London. 

A minute's silence before the game was followed by the singing of the French national anthem, per the Press Association (h/t Daily Mail): "Several Toulouse players were close to tears during a minute's silence before kick-off, which was followed by the French national anthem—La Marseillaise—that rang out on a wet and windy evening in north London."

Toulouse and Stade Francais were the only French sides to play a Champions Cup fixture, with the others' games called off, and you could hardly blame their players for having their thoughts elsewhere as they succumbed to a 32-7 defeat.

Eddie Butler of the Guardian perhaps summed it up best: "In days to come, the minutiae of a missed or a saved point will concentrate minds. But not on this night. Thoughts were elsewhere; the rugby did not matter."

Loser: Leinster's Losses to Head Injuries

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Leinster were well beaten by Wasps in Dublin, but the Irish injury curse that struck them during the World Cup seemed to spill over into the three-time champions' European campaign, as they lost Sean O’Brien, Mike McCarthy and Richardt Strauss to head injuries during their 6-33 defeat.

The Irish side have to travel to Bath next weekend, but they may well be without the trio, as they will only be permitted a graduated return to play under the concussion regulations, per the Irish Independent's Ruaidhri O'Connor.

Already, Leinster's progression from this tough-looking pool is resembling a mountainous task.

Winner and Loser: Wasps

Wasps top their pool after taking Leinster to the cleaners at the RDS, and coach Dai Young was rightly pleased with the 33-6 thumping they handed out.

But the fact that it was inspired in no small part by All Blacks full-back Charles Piutau came as a bittersweet success for the men from Coventry.

They will have the benefit of the former Auckland man's considerable talents for just this season. He is contracted to join Ulster in 2016 but is killing time in the Midlands after being released early by the Super Rugby franchise.

The All Blacks blocked him from playing one more year in Auckland after he agreed his move to Ireland, which left him out of their World Cup squad and without a club for this season, per The 42's Murray Kinsella. 

How Wasps will wish they could hijack that deal with Ulster after this performance.

Winner: Simon Zebo

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Munster's Simon Zebo edged closer to his own piece of history and secured a bonus point for his side in the process against Benetton Treviso.

The Ireland international's late score ensured the four-try bonus in a 32-7 win and moved him on to 40 tries for the province, one behind Anthony Horgan's record, per BBC.co.uk.

Zebo could be in line for a key role for Ireland this season as well as his province, with the long-term injury to Tommy Bowe leaving a spot out wide open for someone to fill.

Loser: Exeter

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Exeter's recent run of good form was ripped up by the Ospreys, who overcame a 10-6 half-time deficit to beat the Chiefs 25-13.

And the Devonians' coach Rob Baxter was far from pleased with what he saw from his men, per BBC.co.uk: "Sometimes what a team needs when it's on a winning run is a loss to give it a kick in the pants and we've royally received a kick in the pants."