It was somehow fitting that in a season of numerous lows, Sale saved their worst for last. A humiliating 10-try trashing at a packed Kingsholm not only served as the biggest Premiership defeat of the season suffered by any side.

The 51 point margin of defeat was also Sale’s widest since a 58-5 thumping at Wasps back in April 2000.

And you have to go back to 1997 for the last time the club shipped more points - that was when a second-string side were walloped 84-7 at Bath.

So it was a miserable afternoon all round for a club who will only be too glad to bid good riddance to 2010-11.

On Saturday's shambolic evidence, executive director of sport Steve Diamond will also be only too relieved to be welcoming in an army of new players as many of those departing have all-too evidently not been up to the job.

The latest of Diamond's recruits is Russian second-row forward Andrei Ostrikov who has been captured from French club Aurillac and who will add further beef, ballast and desire to Sale' new-look pack.

Diamond had handed several of those who are leaving the chance to bow out in style.

Instead, he and the long-suffering Sale supporters were subjected to an afternoon of misery and embarrassment courtesy of a display that met with a withering response from the Sale supremo.

“Coming down here with players who are leaving and not in the right mindset was always going to be difficult. And it was shown in the second-half that we weren't up for the game,” Diamond blasted.

“It's an indication of how far things have been allowed to drop here and why we're right in letting 13 or 14 of those who were out there leave.

“It's about the quality of player, the quality of coaching and where the club has got to.

“I feared this. If you come down here and you are not up for it, that is what happens. It just shows the quality of individuals and how they prepare themselves. It's not about Sale; it's about self respect and it was pretty obvious from that performance and many others why we are where we are.”

For the record, the post mortem will record that Charlie Sharples scored a hat-trick for the rampant hosts with Henry Trinder crossing twice.

Further punishment came from Rory and Scott Lawson, Nicky Robinson, James Simpson-Daniel and Dave Lewis with Sale tries from Neil Briggs and Neil McMillan not even counting as consolation. The afternoon was too raw and too painful for that.
 
The only bright spot was a defiant post-match message delivered by Diamond who has pledged to stop a rot that has been taking shape for the past three or four years.
 
“It is possible to turn it round quickly and the team and coaching staff are already largely in place for next season,” he added.

“One thing is for sure - we won't come down here and take a thrashing like that again.
 
“As regards signing Andrei, he's a big lad who's been coached well in France. He's a hungry and has a giant opportunity here.”

The club are set  to reveal additional new signings and re-signings over the next fortnight, as well as new back-room staff.
 
GLOUCESTER: Voyce; Sharples; Trinder; Fuimaono-Sapolu; Simposn-Daniel; Robinson; Lawson; Wood; Lawson; Doran-Jones; Attwood; Brown; Strokosch; Qera; Narraway (cpt)
 
SALE: MacLeod; Thornley; Bell; Tonetti; Addison; Hodgson; Peel; Imiolek; Briggs; McIntyre; Rouse; C. Jones; Gaskell; Fearns; Koyamaibole

Ref: David Rose

Att: 14,151

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