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Glasgow Warriors began their European journey in ideal fashion with a valuable bonus-point away victory against Sale Sharks.

With the elements at their backs, Sale began the brighter and raced to a fourteen-point lead within 20 minutes. Scores from the Sale skipper and teenage debutant Ollie Davies put them in command.

However, the visitors responded well with two tries before the interval. Forward Gregor Hiddleston and flanker Rory Darge both went over to narrow the gap.

Additional after the break scores from captain Kyle Steyn and centurion Stafford McDowall pushed the Warriors' advantage to 26-14. Marius Louw's reply for the hosts set up a nervous finish, but the visitors stood strong to secure a significant first-round win.

Glasgow Seize Initiative Following Half-Time

The match began with a quick try as skipper Ernst van Rhyn drove over from short distance after only two minutes. A first-half knock to midfielder Rekeiti Ma'asi-White brought 19-year-old Davies into the fray for his cup debut.

The youngster made an instant impact. Moving to fly-half, he took a smart angle to take an offload and score, making Sale's lead.

Facing challenging conditions, Glasgow turned to their forward power to get back into the contest. A powerful line-out drive was touched down by hooker Gregor Hiddleston. Just before the half, Darge barged over, with Hastings' kick making it a two-point deficit at the interval.

Glasgow took the advantage for the first occasion soon after the restart. A poor box-kick was collected by number eight Dempsey, who set up skipper Steyn to burst through a challenge and race away to the try-line.

Now in the ascendancy, Glasgow secured the bonus point when McDowall ran through a defender to celebrate his 100th appearance for the club. This try capped a sequence of 26 unanswered points.

The hosts found a lifeline when Marius Louw showed neat skills to cross. The kick made it a one-score game with minutes remaining.

One last chance arose for them from a throw in the 22, but they lost the ball, sealing Glasgow's triumph.

What's Next?

Sale Sharks must regroup ahead of a trip to face Clermont next Saturday. Meanwhile, Glasgow will welcome six-time winners Toulouse to Scotstoun.

The two sides are placed in a strong first pool that also includes Saracens and Durban-based outfit the Hollywoodbets 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).