Glasgow pull clear of Sale for 47-27 Champions Cup win

Glasgow Warriors recovered from an early 12-point deficit to defeat Sale Sharks 47-27 in their Champions Cup Pool 1 opener on Saturday. The Guardian reported that the visitors extended their unbeaten start to the season, with a late burst of scoring turning a close contest into a 20-point victory.

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Sale had led 12-0 inside 10 minutes after tries from Ben Curry and Arron Reed. Glasgow responded with a penalty try, followed by scores from captain Kyle Steyn and Jamie Dobie, to reach half-time 21-15 ahead. That recovery changed the direction of the match, but Sale remained within reach after the interval.

Discipline complicated the home side’s efforts to defend their early advantage. According to BBC Sport, Gus Warr was sent to the sin-bin following the maul infringement that resulted in the penalty try, and Tom Roebuck also received a yellow card for tripping Steyn. George Ford’s penalty briefly restored Sale’s lead before Dobie’s try put Glasgow back in front.

Alex Craig then scored for the Warriors, while Rekeiti Ma’asi-White’s try brought Sale’s deficit back to four points. The Guardian reported that Glasgow ultimately settled the match in the final 20 minutes, with Rory Darge, Ollie Smith and Tuipulotu among the late scorers. Reed also added his second try for Sale, but the hosts could not keep pace with the visitors’ finish.

The match took place after a minute’s silence for former Sale lock Hyron Andrews, whose death was reported on Friday. BBC Sport said players and supporters were visibly emotional before kick-off. Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson told BBC Radio 5 Live that the squad had supported one another and would help Andrews’ family, while stressing that grief was not something he wanted to use as motivation.

For Glasgow, the result provided another successful start in Europe after they won all their pool matches with bonus points last season before losing to Toulon in the quarter-finals. Their next Champions Cup fixture is at home to Pau in December. Sale, meanwhile, face an away trip to Leinster in the next round after an opening defeat in which their early lead proved insufficient.