Rivals may be envious of Toulouse's budget but the French and European champions' success is not just about money.
It was the French who caught the eye in round one with six of their eight teams winning, including Stade Rochelais and Toulon away from home.
After hitting rock-bottom in 2017, Europe's most successful club have rediscovered their élan.
The injury to the talismanic French captain has distracted France from another absence they’ve experienced: meaningful opposition
World Cup winner Cheslin Kolbe has recovered from a broken thumb to take his place in the Toulon team for Friday’s European Challenge Cup final versus Lyon in Marseille.
Luke Pearce is the rising star of international refereeing and as I have previously written, in my opinion, the heir apparent to Wayne Barnes as England’s leading official.
Toulouse have gone from peerless European aristocrats to an overspending and underperforming mess at the highest club level over the last decade, but their win against Leinster shows that their return to relevance may be coming sooner rather than later.