Fielding a virtual full-strength team they faced a Quins side that had won 12 out of their last 13 games.
But despite a lion's share of possession it took a moment of magic from Mark Cueto to secure a nervy but priceless victory.
Sharks' director of rugby Philippe Saint-Andre elected to unleash the full force of his elite Panzer Division before losing six of his A list to the Six Nations.
And his ploy reaped instant dividends with Sale steaming into a deserved lead after just eight minutes.
Playing with a fire in their bellies that had been noticeably absent in recent weeks, the Sharks tore into Quins from the off.
And it was no more than was merited when lock Chris Jones drove over from close range to open the scoring with a fine try with Charlie Hodgson adding the conversion.
With the shell-shocked visitors mirroring the jester-look of their multi-colour shirts via a series of missed passes and wayward kicks, Sale looked set to make merry.
But despite their increased muscle the Sharks' decision-making again let them down at crucial moments.
Anxiety
And once again, Sale's set-pieces both in the lineout and the scrum left much to be desired.
And with a bumper 10,216 Edgeley Park crowd anxiety spreading to the players, it came as no surprise when Quins fly-half Adrian Jarvis narrowed the deficit with a 36th-minute penalty.
And worse was to follow just two minutes later when a Richard Wigglesworth infringement allowed Jarvis to bring the visitors to within a point.
And the mood was soured even further deep into first-half injury time when the normally metronomic Hodgson sliced a penalty wide of the posts.
Fortunately for the hosts, Sale rediscovered their appetite for the battle from the re-start and tore into the quivering Quins.
A 52nd-minute penalty from Luke McAlister looked like being scant reward for their relentless pressure.
But four minutes later they conjured up a brilliant try to put some daylight between the two battling sides.
Cueto was the architect launching a superb 60-metre run from deep inside his own half. The England winger evaded half of the Quins' defence before off-loading to Scotland winger Rory Lamont who in turn let in Oriel Ripol for a superb try.
And with Hodgson adding the conversion you could feel the tension ease in the packed crowd as Sharks celebrated.
The pace showed no signs of flagging and Sale's non-stop attacking left them a little exposed.
Tani Fuga cashed in on a moment's carelessness and scored a try for Quins which Jarvis converted to make it `game on' in an excellent contest that gave the fans reward for the cost of their admission. A late Hodgson penalty meant Sharks were home and dry.
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