Glasgow Warriors opened their Investec Champions Cup campaign in scintillating fashion at Scotstoun this evening, as a first-half blitz set the foundations for a 38-19 victory over Sale Sharks in front of the Warrior Nation.
George Horne’s hat-trick, taking him to a half-century of tries in Glasgow colours, and scores from Kyle Rowe, Huw Jones and Scott Cummings set the Warriors on course for victory, at the outset of another season in Europe’s premier club competition.
At the outset of a new campaign, the Warriors couldn’t have wished for a better start. A huge carry from Henco Venter set the tone early, and after almost three minutes of sustained possession, Matt Fagerson’s break and inside offload to Huw Jones allowed the centre to draw the last man and send Horne racing over the whitewash. The scrum-half converted his own score for good measure, and the hosts led 7-0 with four minutes gone.
If Horne’s first showed off Glasgow’s team interplay, his second was a stroke of individual magic. Collecting Gregor Hiddleston’s blindside pass, his rapid acceleration and presence of mind saw him deftly grubber the ball down the touchline, somehow keeping both himself and the ball in play to score an outrageous finish in the corner. Whilst the conversion drifted wide, the Warrior Nation were in no mood to complain as they rose to applaud a sensational solo effort.
Glasgow were firing on all cylinders, and a third try arrived with just 17 minutes gone. Turnover ball in midfield saw the Fagerson brothers combine to drive into Sale territory, and from there the back-line clicked into gear. Three slick passes and a sublime take from Rowe later, the winger was hurtling up the touchline and over the line, rounding the in-goal to touch down under the posts to give Horne the simplest of conversions.
Stung by the early barrage from their hosts, Sale set about mounting the fightback and struck for a try of their own with 22 minutes on the clock. Repeat penalties kicked to the corner eventually saw referee Andrea Piardi lose patience with the men in black, awarding a penalty try and dispatching Horne to the sin-bin.
Yet the Warriors were undeterred, and just 90 seconds later the Warrior Nation were roaring for the attacking bonus-point. Rory Darge’s turnover gave Glasgow possession inside the Sale 22, with Venter, the Fagersons and Jamie Bhatti all engaging in top gear. It proved too much for the visitors, with Sebastian Cancelliere, deputising at scrum-half in Horne’s absence, floating the ball wide to send Jones over the line. Tom Jordan assumed the kicking duties to add the extras, and Glasgow led 26-7.
Back came Sale once more, this time striking for a swift response of their own. Bevan Rodd’s break saw the Sharks break loose, and a quick ball from Gus Warr eventually saw Arron Reed have the space and time to touch down out wide. The conversion went astray, however, leaving Glasgow’s two-score lead intact.
The final word of a frenetic first half, though, would go to the irrepressible Horne. Once more the pack would make the hard yards, and when Bhatti’s pick and go saw the loose-head surge into space, the scrum-half was on his shoulder to collect the pass and touch down for his 50th try in Glasgow colours – not to mention his hat-trick on the night. Converting his own score once again, the half-time scoreline read 33-12 in favour of the men in black.
The Warriors were in no mood to slow down, setting about their task in the second stanza with the same intensity as the first. Superb handling from Cancelliere and Venter almost sent Rowe clear for a second, whilst Darge and Hiddleston were proving a menace at the breakdown.
Horne was still fizzing around the breakdown, one perfectly-timed pass sending Matt Fagerson charging up the touchline before freeing Cancelliere. The visitors would scramble to deny the Argentinian, but the match was showing no signs of letting up in terms of tempo.
The first score of the second half, however, went to the English outfit as the clock ticked past the hour mark. Good handling out wide saw Joe Carpenter find a half-gap, cleverly releasing the ball in the tackle before regaining his feet and sprinting clear of the defence. Rob du Preez converted, taking the scoreline to 33-19 with a quarter of the match remaining.
That score only served to renew the Glasgow focus and try number six would arrive just moments later. Sprung from the bench, Johnny Matthews saw a trademark rumble for the try-line cut down just inches short, but there was no denying Cummings on the follow-up as the second-rower muscled his way over. Horne’s conversion was just wide of the uprights, but the home side’s lead now read 38-19 with 15 minutes to play.
With the victory secured, all that was left for Glasgow’s defence to close out the match, despite Sale’s efforts to secure an attacking bonus point of their own. A maximum five-point haul to open the Investec Champions Cup for 2024/25 – now attentions turn to the south of France, as a trip to Toulon awaits next weekend.
Scorers:
Glasgow Warriors: Tries: George Horne (2), Kyle Rowe, Huw Jones, George Horne, Scott Cummings. Conversions: George Horne (3), Tom Jordan.
Sale Sharks: Tries: Arron Reed, Joe Carpenter. Conversion: Robert du Preez.
Teams:
Glasgow Warriors: 15 Josh McKay, 14 Seb Cancelliere, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu (c), 11 Kyle Rowe, 10 Tom Jordan, 9 George Horne, 8 Henco Venter, 7 Rory Darge, 6 Matt Fagerson, 5 Scott Cummings, 4 Olujare Oguntibeju, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Gregor Hiddleston, 1 Jamie Bhatti. Replacements: 16 Johnny Matthews, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Sam Talakai, 19 Alex Samuel, 20 Ally Miller, 21 Jack Mann, 22 Jamie Dobie, 23 Duncan Weir.
Sale Sharks: 15 Joe Carpenter, 14 Will Addison, 13 Luke James, 12 Sam Bedlow, 11 Arron Reed, 10 Robert du Preez (c), 9 Gus Warr, 8 Dan du Preez, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Jean-Luc du Preez, 5 Hyron Andrews, 4 Ernst van Rhyn, 3 Asher Opoku-Fordjour, 2 Tadgh McElroy, 1 Bevan Rodd. Replacements: 16 Harry Thompson, 17 Si McIntyre, 18 James Harper, 19 Ben Bamber, 20 Jonny Hill, 21 Raffi Quirke, 22 Tom Curtis, 23 Sam Dugdale.