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

Taking advantage of the wind at their backs, Sale began the brighter and built a 14-0 advantage within the first quarter. Tries from the Sale skipper and teenage debutant Ollie Davies put them in command.

However, Glasgow responded admirably with a pair of scores prior to the interval. Hooker Gregor Hiddleston and flanker Darge both crossed to narrow the gap.

Further after the break scores from Kyle Steyn and centurion Stafford McDowall pushed the Warriors' advantage to 26-14. A late try for the hosts promised a tense finale, but the visitors held firm to secure a major first-round victory.

Glasgow Seize Initiative Following Half-Time

The match began with a quick try as Sale captain Ernst van Rhyn scored from short distance after just two minutes. An early knock to midfielder Rekeiti Ma'asi-White introduced 19-year-old Ollie Davies into the action for his cup debut.

The youngster made an instant impact. Moving to fly-half, he took a good support line to take an pass and touch down, making the home side's advantage.

Facing challenging conditions, Glasgow turned to their set-piece to fight back into the game. A strong line-out drive was touched down by hooker Gregor Hiddleston. Prior to the half, Rory Darge forced his way over, with Adam Hastings' conversion making it a narrow deficit at the interval.

The Scottish club seized the advantage for the first occasion early in the second half. A poor box-kick was gathered by No. 8 Dempsey, who set up captain Steyn to break a tackle and sprint to the line.

With in the ascendancy, Glasgow secured the bonus point when McDowall ran through a tackle to score his century for the team. This try capped a run of 26 unanswered points.

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

A final opportunity arose for Sale from a line-out in the corner, but they failed to secure the possession, sealing Glasgow's victory.

Looking Ahead

Sale must regroup ahead of a trip to face Clermont this weekend. In contrast, Glasgow Warriors will host six-time winners Toulouse to Scotstoun.

The two sides are placed in a strong first pool that also features Saracens and South African team 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.

Officials

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