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

Taking advantage of the elements at their backs, the hosts began strongly and raced to a fourteen-point lead within 20 minutes. Scores from the Sale skipper and youngster Ollie Davies gave them early control.

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

Further after the break tries from Kyle Steyn and centurion Stafford McDowall pushed Glasgow's lead to twelve points. Marius Louw's try for the hosts set up a nervous finale, but Glasgow stood strong to claim a major first-round win.

Warriors Seize Initiative After Interval

The match started with a quick try as Sale captain Van Rhyn drove over from short distance after just two minutes. A first-half knock to midfielder Rekeiti Ma'asi-White brought teenager Davies into the action for his cup debut.

The youngster made an instant impact. Switching to fly-half, he ran a good support line to collect an pass and score, extending the home side's advantage.

Facing difficult conditions, the Warriors turned to their forward power to get back into the contest. A powerful line-out drive was touched down by hooker Hiddleston. Just before the break, Rory Darge barged over, with Hastings' kick making it a narrow deficit at half-time.

Glasgow took the advantage for the first time soon after the restart. A poor kick was collected by number eight Jack Dempsey, who set up skipper Kyle Steyn to break a tackle and sprint to the try-line.

With in the ascendancy, Glasgow clinched the bonus point when McDowall ran through a defender to score his century for the club. That score capped a sequence of twenty-six unanswered points.

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

One last opportunity arose for Sale from a throw in the corner, but they lost the ball, confirming Glasgow's victory.

Looking Ahead

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

The two sides are drawn in a competitive Pool One that also features the English side 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 (French).
Assistant Referees: Vincent Blasco Baque (French) and Julien Caulier (French).
TMO: Tual Trainini (France).