Paris: Sale piled on the misery for misfiring Biarritz with a 33-10 win on the opening night of the European Challenge Cup season on Thursday.
Biarritz, the champions in the continent’s second-tier competition in 2012, conceded two penalty tries to the English side with Russian lock Andrei Ostrikov adding the third try.
South African prop Eugene van Staden scored the only try for Biarritz who went into the match having lost eight of their nine French Top 14 matches this season.
Sale, the 2002 and 2005 champions, also saw rookie fly-half Joe Ford, who replaced Danny Cipriani, finish with 16 points from three penalties, two conversions and a drop goal in a perfect kicking display.
Stade Francais, the runners-up to Leinster last season, ran in nine tries in a 61-3 rout of out-classed Portuguese debutants, Lusitano.
Julien Arias (2), Jerome Porical (2), Andrea Cocagi, Nicolas Garrault, Anton van Zyl, Pierre Rabadan and Richard Kingi scored the home side’s tries.
Bayonne ran in four tries to defeat Grenoble 37-6 in an all-French clash.
They secured a bonus point with a last-minute try from replacement forward Opeti Fonua.
AFP