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Glasgow Warriors kicked off their Champions Cup campaign in ideal fashion with a valuable four-try win on the road against Sale.

With the elements at their backs, Sale began strongly and raced to a fourteen-point advantage within the first quarter. Tries from Ernst van Rhyn and teenage debutant Ollie Davies gave them early control.

However, the visitors responded admirably with a pair of scores before the interval. Hooker Gregor Hiddleston and flanker Rory Darge both went over to reduce the gap.

Further after the break scores from captain Kyle Steyn and centurion Stafford McDowall pushed Glasgow's advantage to twelve points. A late reply for Sale set up a nervous finish, but the visitors stood strong to claim a major first-round win.

Glasgow Take Control After Interval

The match started with a bang as skipper Ernst van Rhyn drove over from short distance after just two minutes. A first-half injury to midfielder Ma'asi-White brought teenager Ollie Davies into the action for his European debut.

Davies made an instant impact. Moving to fly-half, he took a good angle to collect an offload and score, extending Sale's lead.

Facing difficult weather, Glasgow turned to their forward power to fight back into the contest. A powerful driving maul was finished by hooker Hiddleston. Just before the half, Darge forced his way over, with Adam Hastings' conversion making it a narrow deficit at half-time.

The Scottish club took the advantage for the first occasion early in the second half. A poor kick was collected by number eight Dempsey, who fed skipper Kyle Steyn to break a challenge and race away to the try-line.

With in the ascendancy, they secured the fourth try when Stafford McDowall powered past a tackle to celebrate his century for the club. That score completed a sequence of twenty-six consecutive points.

Sale found a lifeline when Marius Louw used good skills to score. The conversion made it a five-point game with minutes remaining.

A final opportunity arose for them from a line-out in the corner, but they failed to secure the ball, confirming the Warriors' triumph.

What's Next?

Sale must bounce back ahead of a journey to face Clermont this weekend. Meanwhile, Glasgow will welcome European giants Toulouse to their home ground.

Both sides are placed in a strong Pool One that also features Saracens and South African team the Hollywoodbets Sharks.

Line-ups

Sale Sharks: Reed; O'Flaherty, Ma'asi-White, Louw, Wills; Du Preez, Quirke; McIntyre, Jibulu, John, Burrow, Bamber, Vermeulen, Van Rhyn, T Curry.
Replacements: Caine, Onasanya, Harper, Andrews, B Curry, Warr, Davies, Wehr.

Glasgow Warriors: McKay; Steyn, McDowall, Tuipulotu, Smith; Hastings, Horne; McBeth, Hiddleston, Z Fagerson, Williamson, Cummings, M Fagerson, Darge, Dempsey.
Replacements: Stephen, Sutherland, Talakai, Samuel, Brown, Miller, Dobie, Lancaster.

Match Officials

Referee: Pierre Brousset (French).
Assistant Referees: Vincent Blasco Baque (France) and Julien Caulier (France).
TMO: Tual Trainini (France).