Investec Champions Cup round-up: Sale beat Stade Francais, Leinster stun La Rochelle, Harlequins complete comeback

Sale Sharks made a near-perfect start to their European campaign on Sunday afternoon with a 28-5 win over Stade Francais in the Investec Champions Cup.

After a strong opening to the Gallagher Premiership Rugby season, Sale faced a different challenge in the form of European rugby and things got off to a slightly rocky start.

South African prop Nick Schonert was lost to a head impact after just four minutes, while George Ford missed touch with a penalty shortly afterwards.

Ford steadied the ship soon afterwards when he knocked over a penalty to open the scoring. Si McIntyre then followed Schonert in being withdrawn due to injury.

In the 26th minute, the visitors took the lead when Jeremy Ward cruised over after quick work from a restart.

Another Ford penalty on the stroke of half-time restored Sale's lead.

Ford made it 9-5 with another penalty after the break and the dominance of Sale's pack had begun to take effect.

Tom O'Flaherty zipped through a gap in the French defence a few minutes later to make it 14-5.

Ten minutes later, Sale increased their lead when Jonny Hill slid across the line in the corner. Tom Curtis converted from out wide to make it 21-5.

Sale’s points were coming from the French side’s errors, punishing them to the max and their dominance only increased in the second half.

With six minutes to play, Sam Dugdale powered over the line and Curtis added the extras.

In truth, Sale cruised to victory over the Top 14 side and the only frustrations would be the injuries suffered and the failure to snatch a bonus point.

Elsewhere, Leinster exacted a degree of revenge for May's European Cup Final defeat at the hands of La Rochelle by beating the French side 16-9.

In wet, greasy conditions, the two-time defending European champions La Rochelle scored the first points from the boot of Antoine Hastory after just two minutes.

Jordan Larmour then crossed out wide to put the visitors in front and Harry Byrne’s conversion made it 7-3.

Hastory cut the gap to one with another penalty just before half-time as the rain continued to fall and the skies darkened.

Ciaran Frawley slotted a penalty for the visitors to make it 10-6 right before the break.

Another Hastoy penalty reduced the arrears for La Rochelle, keeping things tight but Frawley’s penalty then restored the four-point break.

Frawley then landed a monster 60-metre penalty to close out the victory, 16-9.

La Rochelle won all four of their pool matches last season so a defeat in their opener is something of a shock, even against tough opposition.

Leicester Tigers continued their strong recent form with an entertaining 35-26 win over Stormers.

Handre Pollard kicked the Tigers into an early 3-0 lead. His opposite number Jurie Matthee brought his side level four minutes later. Solomone Kata powered through a gap in the Stormers line after a scrum to make it in the 14th minute.

Stormers were piling up possession and turned that into points when Keke Morabe powered over.

Paul de Wet set up Courtnall Skosan for another Stormers try right before the break. The South Africans went into halftime leading 17-10.

After the break, another Pollard penalty made it a four-point game.

Kata doubled up with his second try of the day to put Tigers back in front and Pollard made no mistake with the conversion.

Matthee's quick-thinking drop goal levelled the scores again with 29 minutes to play.

10 minutes later both sides had added penalties to make it 23-23.

It was anyone's game until Lee-Marvin Mazibuko was shown a yellow card in the 63rd minute for a high tackle.

Just two minutes later, a clever kick-and-chase from Ben Youngs set up Pollard to score. He then converted his own try to give Leicester their biggest lead of the evening, but Matthee’s penalty closed the gap again.

Mazibuko returned to the pitch with the match in the balance. Stormers pushed but Leicester managed to strike a final, decisive blow through Josh Bassett who dove over in the corner. That try not only sealed the match, but earned the Tigers a vital bonus point.

Harlequins picked up a 31-28 win over Racing 92 in Paris in the final match of the evening.

It was a nail-biting thriller that saw the lead swing back and forth.

Quins thought they had the opening score when Danny Care crashed over in the 13th minute but it was disallowed.

Two minutes later, momentum swung the other way as French youth international scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec touched down for Racing. Antoine Gibert converted for a 7-0 lead.

Marcus Smith hit a hole in the French line at speed, running onto a lovely Care pass and deposited the ball next to the posts for five, before stepping up to slot the conversion and level the match.

Andre Esterhuizen busted through the line and dashed over the line after 25 minutes. Smith was faultless from close range and made it 14-7. Smith then put Quins 10 points clear with a 50 metre drop goal shortly before the break, but Gibert got a try of his own in the final moments of the half. His conversion made it 17-14 at the interval.

Four minutes after the restart, Le Garrec dashed over again to put Racing back into the lead. Gibert's conversion stretched the gap to four. A long phase of possession on the Harlequins line eventually ended with Ibrahim Diallo touching down. Another successful conversion made the gap 11 points with 21 minutes to go.

Quins seemed in trouble but struck back almost immediately through captain Alex Dombrandt. A slick lineout had the Racing line rolling backwards and the No. 8 raced into a gap to score. Five minutes later a furious rolling maul from Harlequins sent Racing’s defenders skittering like ninepins and Dillon Lewis scored to put the English side in front.

Following the conversion, Quins were three points up with 14 minutes remaining. Quins kept coming and Racing’s defensive line was in shambles. Somehow the French escaped further damage.

In the final minutes, Racing were camped on Harlequins’ try-line but phase after phase, their attacks were held off.

Racing charged over, but the referee had already blown his whistle for a penalty and yellow card.

The 80th minute ticked over, and forward came Racing but the ball somehow squirmed out and the game was over.

Sale 28-5 Stade Francais

La Rochelle 9-16 Leinster

Leicester Tigers 35-26 Stormers

Racing 92 28-31 Harlequins

Perpignan 12-28 Lions

Newcastle Falcons 19-24 Montpellier

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