If you mix together a strong Sale side on a cold and wet Friday night at a football ground at Stockport and put it into a cauldron of passion with big hits, against an out of form and weak Gloucester side, you should have a recipe for disaster.
That's what most of the travelling faithful band of Gloucester supporters must have thought on the long and traffic delayed journey to the game on Friday.
As it turned out Gloucester were well beaten but the manner of the defeat bore no resemblance to their last performance 6 days earlier.
Gloucester were under pressure straight from the kick off and Sale through that pressure won a penalty within 3 minutes. A slick move, 12 minutes later, saw winger Steve Hanley, come into the inside centre position and take a pass from Jos Baxendell. The burly Sale left wing easily ran through the Gloucester defence to score a converted try to put the home team 10-0 up.
In previous weeks Gloucester would have capitulated but the young & inexperienced team defended bravely to restrict Sale to only 2 more penalty scores in the first half.
So heavy was the occupation of the Gloucester territory that the visitors did not break into the Sale 22 until the 35th minute. Amazingly Gloucester put Sale under the cosh and won consecutive penalties as the home side collapsed rolling mauls to prevent conceding a try. Penalty tries have been awarded for far less indiscretions.
Sale started the second half strongly with a 16 point lead and following a scrum awarded as a result of a John Goodridge knock on inside his 22, Sale ran first phase ball from left to right. Full back Jason Robinson entered the line to create the extra man, passed to winger Mark Cueto who squeezed a try into the corner. Charlie Hodgson did well to convert from the touchline.
Slowly but surely Gloucester began to get back into the game which was becoming more and more physical by the minute. Sale were forced onto the back foot as Gloucester built momentum and eventually registered 3 points from a Brad Davies penalty.
The hits were getting harder and Seti Kiole was dumped at the perimeter fence and was replaced by Olly Morgan after 52 minutes. Against the run of play however, Brian Redpath snapped up a loose ball from a ruck and Steve Hanley was on hand to take the pass which gave him a 65 metre unopposed run to score his second try of the night. Hodgson converted from in front of the posts.
Back came Gloucester undeterred and pressured Sale into desperate tackles and desperate measures. French hard man Sebastian Chabal was lucky to stay on the pitch after referee Steve Lander penalised him for a vicious and dangerous spear tackle on Adam Balding.
After concerted and constant pressure Sale pulled down another rolling maul that was heading over the try line and Steve Lander did not hesitate to award Gloucester a penalty try which Davies converted.
Soon after Gloucester found themselves defending and Davies with no room to operate struggled to find space to clear from in goal. Under pressure he dropped the ball at the feet of a grateful John Carter who merely had to fall on it to score Sale's bonus point try.
Gloucester had the last word and Peter Buxton, who replaced Luke Narraway in the 70th minute, scored his first try for the Cherry and Whites when he broke from a rolling maul.
Inexperienced Gloucester were well beaten by a full-strength Sale side but the Gloucester supporters would have taken heart from a more determined effort than in recent weeks.

Tries.Buxton, Penalty

Conversion. Davies

Penalty. Davies

Gloucester
J.Goodridge
M.Foster, J.Simpson-Daniel, N.Mauger, S.Kiole rep. O.Morgan
B.Davies, A.Gomarsall
N.Wood rep. T.Sigley, M.Davies rep. O.Azam, G.Powell
A.Eustace, A.Brown
J.Boer rep.J.Forrester, L.Narraway rep.P.Buxton, A.Balding

Referee - S.Lander

Attendance - 9,456