Glasgow Commanding in Four-Try Win at Sale in European First Round

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

With the elements at their backs, Sale started strongly and raced to a fourteen-point lead within 20 minutes. Tries from the Sale skipper and teenage debutant Ollie Davies gave them early control.

However, Glasgow fought back well with two tries prior to half-time. Forward Hiddleston and flanker Rory Darge both crossed to narrow the gap.

Additional second-half scores from Kyle Steyn and centurion Stafford McDowall extended the Warriors' lead to twelve points. A late reply for Sale set up a tense finale, but the visitors stood strong to secure a significant first-round win.

Warriors Take Control Following Interval

Play started with a bang as skipper Ernst van Rhyn drove over from close range after only two minutes. A first-half knock to centre Rekeiti Ma'asi-White brought teenager Ollie Davies into the fray for his European debut.

The youngster made an instant contribution. Switching to fly-half, he ran a smart angle to collect an pass and score, making Sale's advantage.

Against challenging conditions, Glasgow turned to their set-piece to fight back into the game. A strong driving maul was finished by front-rower Hiddleston. Prior to the break, Darge barged over, with Adam Hastings' conversion making it a narrow deficit at the interval.

Glasgow seized the advantage for the first time soon after the restart. A poor box-kick was gathered by number eight Dempsey, who fed skipper Kyle Steyn to burst through a tackle and sprint to the line.

Now in the driving seat, they clinched the bonus point when Stafford McDowall ran through a tackle to celebrate his 100th appearance for the club. This try capped a sequence of twenty-six unanswered points.

The hosts gave themselves a late hope when Marius Louw showed neat skills to cross. The kick made it a one-score game with time left.

One last chance arose for Sale from a throw in the 22, but they failed to secure the ball, confirming the Warriors' victory.

Looking Ahead

Sale must regroup ahead of a journey to face Clermont Auvergne this weekend. Meanwhile, Glasgow Warriors will welcome European giants Toulouse to Scotstoun.

The two sides are placed in a strong first pool that also features Saracens and South African team the Hollywoodbets 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 (French) and Julien Caulier (France).
TMO: Tual Trainini (French).