McGuigan's hattrick sinks Perpignan

Sale Sharks claimed a bonus-point victory to start their Challenge Cup campaign defeating Perpignan 41-24.

A hattrick from Byron McGuigan and further tries from Rob Webber, Rohan Janse van Rensburg and Luke James saw the Premiership outfit to the five points.

Here are top performers from the clash:

Byron McGuigan – Sale Sharks

An absolutely instrumental performance by Namibian-born flyer.

It was his first try that got the scoring underway and that led to him scoring two more to end the night off with a hat-trick of tries.

His first try of the game was a brilliant finish in the corner and he was also good in defence in the outside channels an outstanding overall performance tonight.

Rohan Janse van Rensburg – Sale Sharks

The big centre sent a clear message to Rassie Erasmus tonight following a very dominant performance.

A few big hits in the midfield together with a try straight from kickoff, after a dedicated chase, led to him being the pick of the players tonight.

Faf de Klerk – Sale Sharks

After a string of good performances for his national side, he would have looked to carry that form into the game tonight.

He did not disappoint as he managed to keep the scoreboard ticking while providing a solid boot off the base of the maul and ruck.

The man seems to have an everlasting battery life putting in a stellar 70-minute performance after playing almost every single minute of the Rugby Championship.

Ben Curry – Sale Sharks

A prevailing performance by the English International tonight at the rucks.

He did well to frustrate the hosts by slowing down their ball off dangerous plays.

He also won some turnovers which enabled his side to keep the scoreboard ticking and to play the ball in the opposition territory.

Genesis Mamea- Perpignan

A strong performance by the big Samoan international. He carried the ball with real intent and put in a few thunderous hits on defence.

His efforts were rewarded in the final play of the game as he charged over for a try by but ultimately it was too little too late as the damage had been done by the early red card.