Tom O'Flaherty, Jonny Hill, Sam Dugdale each scored tries as Sale make positive start to Champions Cup campaign at home vs Stade Francais; Harlequins pulled off sensational comeback win over Racing 92; Handre Pollard scores 20 points as Leicester beat depleted Stormers at Welford Road
Sunday 10 December 2023 20:51, UK
Sale produced a superb second-half show to open their Champions Cup campaign with a 28-5 victory over Stade Francais at AJ Bell Stadium.
The Sharks edged a feisty first period 6-5 with two George Ford penalties eclipsing a well-worked try from Stade skipper Jeremy Ward.
England back Ford landed a third kick from a scrum penalty before Sale extended their lead by finding space for winger Tom O'Flaherty to touch down.
Sale's forward power told in the final quarter as Raffi Quirke freed Jonny Hill into the corner and Tom Curtis added the extras.
Player of the match Sam Dugdale put the gloss on victory by crashing over six minutes from time, with Curtis again adding the conversion.
Sale missed out on a fourth score and bonus point in the final minutes ahead of their visit to four-time champions Leinster next weekend.
Harlequins clinched victory on French soil, pulling off a superb comeback to defeat Top 14 leaders Racing 92 in Paris.
Nolann Le Garrec put Racing ahead with a converted try but Marcus Smith responded in kind and then converted again almost immediately after Andre Esterhuizen crossed.
Smith added three further points with a drop goal from near halfway but the hosts reduced the deficit to 17-14 at half-time through a try from Antoine Gibert.
Racing were straight over again at the start of the second half, Le Garrec scoring his second try, and they opened up a 28-17 lead when Ibrahim Diallo crossed.
But Quins did not give up and tries from Alex Dombrandt and Jack Walker, both converted by Smith, gave them a 31-28 victory despite a late yellow card for Dino Lamb.
Handre Pollard scored 20 points against a side from his native South Africa as Leicester Tigers ground out a nervy 35-26 victory against a depleted Stormers in their opening match of this season's Champions Cup.
Pollard's haul included a crucial try at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, with Tongan centre Solomone Kata grabbing two scores of his own in what was a fitful performance from Leicester.
They had to turn around a 17-10 half-time deficit against a Stormers side who left most of their big names at home ahead of their home game against holders La Rochelle next week.
The only members of the Springboks' World Cup-winning squad on display were in Leicester colours and one of them, Pollard, proved the key man.
