Glasgow beat Sale 47-27 in Champions Cup opener after Andrews tribute

Glasgow Warriors beat Sale Sharks 47-27 at the CorpAcq Stadium to begin their Investec Champions Cup campaign with an away victory. BBC Sport reported that the visitors led 21-15 at half-time before extending their advantage after the interval, with late tries from Ollie Smith and Ottavio Tuipulotu completing the win.

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The match followed a minute's silence for former Sale lock Hyron Andrews, who died on Friday at the Johannesburg Lions' team hotel before their fixture at La Rochelle. Andrews was 31 and had played regularly for Sale last season. BBC Sport described tears among players and spectators during the pre-match tribute.

Sale made the stronger start on the field. Ben Curry broke away from a maul to score, and Arron Reed added a try out wide following a passing move. Glasgow's response began with a penalty try awarded for a maul infringement, which also saw Sale scrum-half Gus Warr sent to the sin-bin. Tom Roebuck was then shown a yellow card for tripping Warriors captain Kyle Steyn.

Glasgow did not immediately make their numerical advantage count, with Rory Darge losing possession close to a try. Steyn subsequently scored down the wing, although a George Ford penalty restored Sale's lead. Jamie Dobie's finish then put the visitors back in front, helping them take a six-point advantage into the break after an opening half in which the lead changed hands.

Alex Craig crossed from close range after the restart, while Rekeiti Ma'asi-White finished a sustained spell of Sale pressure to keep the hosts involved. Glasgow also scored from a maul, but Sale answered through Reed, whose second try was created by a one-handed offload from Joe Carpenter. The home side continued to find scoring opportunities without managing to overturn Glasgow's advantage.

The visitors ultimately moved clear through replacements Smith and Tuipulotu, turning a competitive contest into a 20-point victory. Glasgow had also beaten Sale in last season's pool stage, recovering from a 14-point deficit to win 26-21. The teams' next Champions Cup matches are scheduled for December: Glasgow will host Pau, while Sale will travel to Dublin to play Leinster.