George Horne the star as European campaigns kick off in contrasting fashion

Here is the stats round-up from the opening weekend of European action.

Edinburgh

An under-strength Edinburgh managed to come away from Gloucester with a losing bonus.

That’s the 18th time in their last 20 away European pool stage fixtures that the capital club have collected points.

With their toughest match out of the way and international player rest protocols fulfilled, Sean Everitt can now go full noise for home games against Bayonne and Black Lion as well as a trip to France to play a Vannes side that is unlikely to have too much interest in the Challenge Cup.

An under-strength Edinburgh side were overpowered by Gloucester (Image: Zac Goodwin/PA Wire) Maximum points from their remaining fixtures should almost certainly mean a home round of 16 tie and would put Edinburgh in the mix for a potential home quarter-final as well.

Chasing the bonus point at Kingsholm was probably the main reason that replacement prop Mikey Jones went unused.

Boan Venter staying on for the full game means that across their last 1,120 minutes of rugby, dating back more than eight months, Edinburgh have only used two players at loosehead prop – Venter and Pierre Schoeman.

Try 1: Wes Goosen

Snapped a 10-game, 861-minute scoreless streak when he crossed near the end of the first half.

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He has scored four of his seven tries for Edinburgh in European competitions.

Glasgow Warriors

The Warriors’ notched their 50th victory in the Champions Cup, while it was just the seventh time in 25 seasons of competing in Europe’s premier tournament that they have won their opening pool fixture.

Johnny Matthews and Rory Darge celebrate Glasgow’s win over Sale Sharks (Image: SNS) The only English sides that the Warriors have scored more points against than the 38 they managed on Saturday evening are Leicester (42-13 at Scotstoun and 0-43 at Welford Road) and Sale themselves (7-45 at the AJ Bell Stadium).

Try 1: George Horne

The first of his hat-trick of tries moved him level with Tommy Seymour in second place on Glasgow’s all-time try scorers list with 48.

Try 2: George Horne

When he touched down, he joined big brother Pete on 448 points scored for Glasgow.

George Horne’s second try was a magnificent solo effort (Image: SNS)

His conversion of Kyle Rowe’s try then put him ahead of his older sibling.

Try 3: Kyle Rowe

He is the first Glasgow player to score in three consecutive Champions Cup pool fixtures (Exeter, Toulon and Sale) since Tommy Seymour did so in 2017 (Leicester, Exeter and Leinster).

Try 4: Huw Jones

This was his 10th try of 2024 for club and country, the most he has managed in any calendar year since joining Glasgow in 2018.

(Image: SNS) He is the 11th back to notch 25 tries for the Warriors. 

Try 5: George Horne

His 50th career try for Glasgow. DTH van der Merwe (54) is the only other player to achieve this feat.

Try 6: Scott Cummings

With 15 tries for the Warriors he is now just one behind the club’s top-scoring lock of all time, Tim Swinson.

Hat-trick special

George Horne is the:

• 15th Warriors’ player to score a hat-trick during the professional era (19th hat-trick);
• First player other than Johnny Matthews to score a hat-trick for Glasgow at Scotstoun since Tommy Seymour v Leinster in September 2016;
• First player to score a Champions Cup hat-trick for the Warriors since Taqele Naiyaravoro vs Scarlets in December 2015;
• First player to score a hat-trick for Glasgow against an English side since Thom Evans v Bath in December 2008
• Only Warriors’ player to score a hat-trick and be yellow carded in the same match.