Glasgow and Leinster claim seven-try away wins in Champions Cup

Glasgow Warriors and Leinster each scored seven tries as they opened their Champions Cup campaigns with away victories on Saturday. Glasgow beat Sale Sharks 47-27 at CorpAcq Stadium, while Leinster overcame Clermont Auvergne 48-23 in France. BBC Sport's match reports detailed two contests in which the visitors established decisive advantages after competitive opening halves.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL6OCwqn8D8

Sale began with tries from Ben Curry and Arron Reed, but disciplinary setbacks helped Glasgow recover. A penalty try was followed by Gus Warr's spell in the sin-bin, and Tom Roebuck was also temporarily dismissed for tripping Kyle Steyn. Steyn and Jamie Dobie then scored as Glasgow reached half-time leading 21-15.

Alex Craig added a Glasgow try before Rekeiti Ma'asi-White kept Sale involved. Reed scored again, but late tries from Ollie Smith and Ottavio Tuipulotu completed the visitors' win. Glasgow's seven tries to Sale's four also earned an additional bonus point under the tournament's new rule rewarding teams that outscore opponents by at least three tries.

At Stade Marcel-Michelin, Leinster had to overturn a 16-15 interval deficit despite first-half tries from Tadhg Furlong and Dan Sheehan. Clermont's response came through Joris Jurand and Harry Plummer, whose kicking supplied 11 points before the break. The hosts therefore retained a narrow advantage heading into the second half against the four-time European champions.

Sam Prendergast changed the match within two minutes of the restart. The fly-half broke through and kicked towards Jimmy O'Brien, who controlled the ball with his foot before gathering and returning it for Prendergast to score beneath the posts. Prendergast finished with 16 points as Leinster took control of their Pool One opener.

A penalty try, accompanied by a yellow card for Clermont prop Nohem Ez Zahouany, further strengthened Leinster's position. Sheehan then claimed his second try. Mathys Belaubre replied for Clermont, but Jack Conan and Tommy O'Brien scored in the final quarter-hour to complete Leinster's seven-try display and secure a bonus-point victory for Leo Cullen's side.