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The Scottish side began their Champions Cup campaign in ideal fashion with a valuable bonus-point win on the road against Sale Sharks.

With the wind at their backs, the hosts began strongly and built a 14-0 lead within the first quarter. Tries from Ernst van Rhyn and teenage debutant Ollie Davies gave them early control.

But, the visitors responded well with a pair of scores before the interval. Hooker Hiddleston and back-rower Rory Darge both went over to narrow the gap.

Additional after the break scores from captain Kyle Steyn and Stafford McDowall extended the Warriors' advantage to 26-14. A late try for the hosts set up a nervous finale, but Glasgow held firm to claim a significant first-round win.

Glasgow Take Control After Half-Time

Play began with a bang as skipper Ernst van Rhyn scored from close range after just two minutes. A first-half knock to centre Rekeiti Ma'asi-White brought 19-year-old Ollie Davies into the fray for his cup debut.

The youngster made an instant impact. Switching to fly-half, he ran a good angle to collect an offload and score, making the home side's advantage.

Against challenging conditions, Glasgow used their forward power to get back into the contest. A strong line-out drive was finished by hooker Gregor Hiddleston. Prior to the break, Rory Darge barged over, with Hastings' conversion making it a narrow deficit at the interval.

The Scottish club took the advantage for the first occasion early in the restart. A poor box-kick was collected by number eight Jack Dempsey, who set up captain Steyn to burst through a challenge and sprint to the line.

Now in the ascendancy, they clinched the fourth try when McDowall ran through a tackle to celebrate his century for the team. That score capped a sequence of twenty-six consecutive points.

The hosts gave themselves a lifeline when Marius Louw used neat skills to cross. The conversion made it a one-score game with time remaining.

A final chance arose for Sale from a throw in the 22, but they lost the ball, sealing Glasgow's victory.

Looking Ahead

Sale must regroup ahead of a journey to face Clermont next Saturday. Meanwhile, Glasgow will host European giants Toulouse to their home ground.

Both sides are placed in a competitive Pool One that also includes Saracens and Durban-based 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 (France).
TMO: Tual Trainini (French).