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The Scottish side began their Champions Cup journey in perfect fashion with a valuable four-try away victory against Sale.

Taking advantage of the elements at their backs, Sale began the brighter and raced to a 14-0 lead within 20 minutes. Scores from Ernst van Rhyn and youngster Ollie Davies gave them early control.

However, the visitors fought back admirably with two tries prior to the interval. Forward Gregor Hiddleston and back-rower Darge both crossed to narrow the gap.

Additional after the break tries from captain Kyle Steyn and Stafford McDowall pushed the Warriors' advantage to twelve points. A late try for the hosts set up a nervous finish, but the visitors stood strong to claim a significant opening victory.

Glasgow Seize Initiative After Half-Time

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

Davies made an immediate contribution. Moving to fly-half, he ran a smart angle to take an pass and score, extending the home side's advantage.

Facing difficult weather, Glasgow used their forward power to get back into the contest. A strong driving maul was finished by hooker Gregor Hiddleston. Just before the break, Darge forced his way over, with Hastings' kick making it a narrow deficit at the interval.

The Scottish club seized the lead for the first time early in the second half. A poor box-kick was collected by number eight Jack Dempsey, who set up skipper Steyn to burst through a tackle and race away to the try-line.

With in the ascendancy, they secured the fourth try when McDowall ran through a tackle to celebrate his 100th appearance for the team. This try capped a sequence of 26 unanswered points.

Sale gave themselves a late hope when Marius Louw showed good skills to cross. The kick made it a one-score game with minutes remaining.

One last chance came for them from a line-out in the 22, but they failed to secure the ball, sealing the Warriors' victory.

Looking Ahead

Sale Sharks must bounce back ahead of a trip to face Clermont Auvergne next Saturday. In contrast, Glasgow will host six-time winners Toulouse to Scotstoun.

The two sides are placed in a competitive Pool One that also includes the English side and South African outfit the Sharks.

Teams

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 (French).
TMO: Tual Trainini (French).