Glasgow and Bulls win as grieving Lions set for Champions Cup debut / Photo: PHILL MAGAKOE - AFP
Glasgow and Bulls win as grieving Lions set for Champions Cup debut
Glasgow fought back from an early deficit to beat Sale 47-27 on Saturday, while the Bulls overwhelmed Stade Francais 56-20 in Pretoria as the Champions Cup continued under the shadow of South African lock Hyron Andrews' death.
Andrews' former club Sale raced into a 12-point lead after only nine minutes, but ill-discipline proved costly as Glasgow swung the momentum with a penalty try and another score against 13 men.
The Scots led by six points at the break and stretched away in the second half, finishing with six tries to Sale's three.
Stade Francais, who have not won away in the competition since 2015, succumbed to the heat, the altitude and a string of defensive errors in South Africa as they crumbled 56-20 against the Bulls.
The Bulls outscored Stade eight tries to two as both early winners claimed an extra point in the table under revised rules that award a bonus to teams that score at least three more tries than their opponents.
The Champions Cup action continued against a sombre backdrop after Andrews, a second-row forward with Johannesburg's Lions franchise, was found dead in his hotel on Friday on the eve of the game at La Rochelle.
The 31-year-old was found in cardiac arrest in a shower cubicle, local authorities told AFP.
Andrews' death came exactly 10 years after Munster coach Anthony Foley died in his hotel room ahead of an away match against Racing 92. Those two teams had already planned a commemoration when they play in Cork later on Saturday.
The Lions said they would play their game against La Rochelle in memory of Andrews, with all Champions Cup and Challenge Cup fixtures preceded by a moment's silence this weekend.
On Friday, Bordeaux-Begles, winners of the past two editions of the Champions Cup, began their title defence with a thrilling 36-36 draw away to Gloucester.
L.Gschwend--MP
