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The Scottish side kicked off their Champions Cup journey in ideal fashion with a crucial four-try away victory against Sale.

With the elements at their backs, Sale began strongly and raced to a 14-0 lead within 20 minutes. Tries from Ernst van Rhyn and youngster Ollie Davies gave them early control.

But, Glasgow responded well with a pair of scores before the interval. Hooker Hiddleston and flanker Rory Darge both crossed to narrow the gap.

Further second-half tries from captain Kyle Steyn and Stafford McDowall pushed Glasgow's lead to 26-14. A late try for the hosts promised a tense finale, but Glasgow held firm to secure a major opening victory.

Warriors Seize Initiative After Interval

The match started with a quick try as Sale captain Ernst van Rhyn scored from short distance after just two minutes. An early knock to centre Rekeiti Ma'asi-White introduced teenager Ollie Davies into the action for his European debut.

The youngster made an immediate impact. Switching to fly-half, he ran a good support line to take an offload and score, making Sale's lead.

Facing challenging conditions, the Warriors turned to their set-piece to fight back into the game. A strong line-out drive was finished by front-rower Gregor Hiddleston. Prior to the half, Rory Darge forced his way over, with Adam Hastings' conversion making it a narrow game at half-time.

The Scottish club took the advantage for the first time early in the restart. A misjudged box-kick was gathered by number eight Jack Dempsey, who set up skipper Steyn to break a tackle and race away to the line.

With in the driving seat, Glasgow clinched the fourth try when Stafford McDowall powered past a tackle to celebrate his century for the club. This try capped a run of twenty-six consecutive points.

The hosts gave themselves a late hope when Marius Louw showed good footwork to score. The conversion made it a five-point game with minutes remaining.

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

Looking Ahead

Sale must regroup ahead of a journey to face Clermont this weekend. Meanwhile, Glasgow Warriors will welcome six-time winners Toulouse to their home ground.

The two sides are drawn in a strong Pool One that also includes the English side 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.

Officials

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