The race to clinch a spot on The British & Irish Lions Tour to New Zealand officially started this weekend as all four of our nations' players did battle in the opening rounds of the Aviva Premiership and Guinness PRO12.

Below we pick out the star performers, the most eye-catching stats, and the best storylines.

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Wasps put on their Sunday best

Wasps had been plotting revenge ever since the Exeter Chiefs progressed to the Aviva Premiership Final at their expense in May.

And it looked as if Dai Young’s side would suffer under the tomahawk chop yet again before new arrival Tommy Taylor capped a brilliant performance with a match-winning try in a 25-20 victory.

Danny Cipriani was the most feted arrival from Sale Sharks over the summer but he was outshone by English hooker Taylor, who also made a match-best 18 tackles on debut.

Scrum-half Dan Robson – another player as of yet uncapped by England – was also mightily impressive, scoring and creating a try as well as racking up three clean breaks.