Reigning champions Toulouse needed a second-half fightback to see off stubborn Sale and set up a Champions Cup quarter-final showdown with Toulon.
On an afternoon when kick-off was delayed for 40 minutes when a parachutist taking part in the pre-match festivities became entangled in the rood at the Stade de Toulouse, tries from Francois Cros, Julien Marchand, Ange Capuozzo and Guillaume Cramont after the break sent the six-times winners through 38-15.
