This defeat does not mark the end of Sale’s Champions Cup campaign but demonstrates they still have considerable ground to make up to be considered contenders. They areflying high in the Premiership but they have now comprehensively been beaten by Toulouse home and away. It was a disastrous day for the Sharks – losing key players to injury as well as Cobus Wiese to a first-half red card – but credit Toulouse for the professional manner in which they closed the match out.
It was not a vintage performance by the five-times champions but it did not need to be. Not with Sale’s indiscipline costing them dearly and not with a full-back with the kind of accuracy possessed by Melvyn Jaminet, who finished with 17 points. Sale will now attempt to get this result out of their systems and book their place in the knockout stages when they travel to Ulster next Saturday.
