The Edgeley Park director of rugby took a huge selection gamble by opting to field a massively inexperienced team against the three-times European champions in order to protect his big hitters for Friday's win-or-bust home clash with Cardiff.
After seeing the fledgling Sharks fight back from a torrid first-half to score two late tries and lose 36-17 in front of 30,000 fans at the Stade de Toulouse, Jones admitted the outcome of the gamble was still in the balance.
"The only way we'll know if the selection was justified is if we get the right result against Cardiff on Friday," he admitted.
"The game at this level is brutal - you can't use the same squad on Sunday and then Friday - and as soon as the group fixtures came out this match was on my radar.
"The positive is what we have found out about everyone and the fact we have a lot of fresh players ready for Friday.
"We could have come here with the side that beat Clermont last year and still got nothing.
"Toulouse are a quality team, they have some incredible players but before the game I asked everyone to give it 100 per cent and to play for the full 80 minutes, and I don't think I can criticise anyone on that score.
"In the first 20 minutes Toulouse were scintillating and our line-out was also at fault which allowed them possession but they didn't throw in the towel and everyone fronted up.
"Obviously Toulouse made a lot of changes once they got the bonus point but it was a big test for a lot of our players out there and they have come through it.
"The likes of Carl Fearns, David Seymour, Jack Forster, James Gaskell, Rob O'Donnell and Sean Cox, amongst others, have proved things to me and to themselves."
One further piece of good news for Sale is that Dwayne Peel's hand injury isn't as serious as first feared and he will be fit for Friday's showdown with the Blues.
Will Sale beat Cardiff? Have your say.
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Nefyn blue, Stockport (13/10/2009 at 10:46)
In most other sports Sale would have been charged with fielding an understrength side, in what is without doubt the worlds finest cup competition. There is a case to suggest that Jones is culpable of demeaning the competition, and should have to explain his actions to the competition's organisors.
Of course he won't as the rules are not in place. In addition, the hardy Sale fans who made the trip were cheated out of seeing our strongest team compete against one of the worlds finest club sides.
This game was a miss match in the true sense of the phrase. Sale were spared a real hammering when Toulouse made 6 changes after half time and treated the rest of the game as a training workout, such was their embarrassing superiority.
The spectacle was ruined from the outset. Finally, Jones has banked all on a victory over the Blues. To that end he will of course field our best 15. Now I wonder if Cardiff ( who also played this weekend), will fill their side with youngsters and the untried ?. No I doubt it either.