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The Scottish side kicked off their European campaign in ideal fashion with a valuable four-try away victory against Sale.

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

But, the visitors responded admirably with a pair of scores before half-time. Forward Hiddleston and flanker Darge both crossed to reduce the deficit.

Additional after the break tries from captain Kyle Steyn and centurion Stafford McDowall pushed the Warriors' advantage to 26-14. A late try for Sale set up a nervous finale, but the visitors stood strong to claim a major first-round victory.

Warriors Seize Initiative After Half-Time

The match began with a bang as Sale captain Van Rhyn drove over from short distance after just two minutes. A first-half injury to midfielder Ma'asi-White brought teenager Davies into the fray for his cup debut.

Davies made an immediate impact. Moving to fly-half, he took a smart support line to collect an offload and score, extending the home side's lead.

Facing difficult weather, the Warriors turned to their forward power to get back into the game. A strong line-out drive was finished by hooker Gregor Hiddleston. Just before the break, Rory Darge barged over, with Adam Hastings' conversion making it a narrow deficit at half-time.

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

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

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

A final opportunity arose for Sale from a line-out in the 22, but they lost the possession, confirming Glasgow's triumph.

What's Next?

Sale Sharks must bounce back ahead of a journey to face Clermont this weekend. In contrast, Glasgow will host six-time winners Toulouse to Scotstoun.

The two sides are drawn in a competitive Pool One that also features Saracens and Durban-based outfit 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 (French) and Julien Caulier (France).
TMO: Tual Trainini (France).