Sale were swept away by a remorseless tide of cherry and white in a punishing last 20 minutes at Gloucester as their LV= Cup campaign got off to a losing start.

For an hour, the Sharks had more than matched the Cup holders in what had been a pulsating encounter at a sun-drenched Kingsholm.
 
But though they had managed to overcome the first half sin-binning of lock James Gaskell, two more yellow cards in the second-half for prop Alasdair Dickinson and flanker Richie Vernon proved catastrophic for the visitors' hopes of recording a rare triumph in the West Country.
 
And with Sale's fragile scrum coming under sustained pressure from Bryan Redpath's side after the break, a late onslaught from Gloucester totally transformed the complexion of the game with the holders eventually running in seven tries all told to Sale's three.
 
From being locked at 27-27 on the hour, Gloucester ran away with things in a one-sided last quarter as Scott and Rory Lawson, Charlie Sharples and Freddie Burns all ran in scores against a tired Sale defence.
 
Yet it all had looked so different earlier on, especially in an action-packed first half which saw both sides match blow for blow in feast of fast free-flowing rugby.
 
Sale recovered well from the blow of going behind to Lesley Vainikolo's first minute try with skipper Dave Seymour and Charlie Amesbury helping create a stunning debut try for Vernon.
 
And despite being down a man with Gaskell in the sin-bin, Sale then struck again with Seymour sparking a quickfire counter-attack which ended with Andrew Higgins evading the hosts' defence to touch down in the 20th minute.
 
However, slack defence then allowed Gloucester full-back Jonny May to sprint 50 yards upfield and score the softest of tries to send the hosts in at the break holding a slender 20-17 lead with Freddie Burns booting two penalties and Sale counterpart Nick Macleod replying with one.

Credit
 
But to their credit, Sale struck againto silence the Shed heads on 43 minutes with the outstanding Seymour again the catalyst, setting up a swift attack that ended with full back Rob Miller rounding things off under the posts with Macleod's conversion restoring Sale's lead at 24-20.
 
However, the Cherry and Whites' pack then began to really turn the screw and a series of five metre scrums on the Sale line eventually ended in an inevitable score from Gloucester skipper Luke Narraway after Dickinson had been sin-binned by referee Neil Hennessy for one indiscretion too many.
 
Though Macleod's second penalty brought the sides level again at 27-27 and the scene seemed set for a pulsating final quarter, Gloucester could smell blood.
 
And with Sale chasing the game, Scottish duo Scott and Rory Lawson both crashed over in quick succession for the hosts with Vernon the third player to be sin-binned for the ragged Sharks.
 
Charlie Sharples poured more salt on the visitors' wounds by racing in for Gloucester's sixth try three minutes from the end and with Sale chasing the consolation of bonus point for a fourth try, instead Macleod's ambitious pace was intercepted by Burns who applied the coup de grace.
 
"We panicked a little bit near the end and we are very disappointed with the last 20 minutes as that is not what we are about," said Sale head coach Tony Hanks. "It was a little bit too easy for Gloucester and that sits uncomfortably with us."

GLOUCESTER: May; Sharples (Voyce 44); Trinder; Vainikolo; Simpson-Daniel; Burns (Taylor 45 Burns 55); Lewis (Lawson 58); Murphy; Cortese; Chistolini; Savage; James; Deacon; Cox; Narraway (capt)

SALE: Miller; Brady; Higgins (Leota 40); Burrell (Addison 43); Amesbury; Macleod; Mathie (Cliff 58); Dickinson; Ward (Taylor 16); Cobilas (Buckley 49); McKenzie (Myall 40); Gaskell; Vernon; Seymour (capt); Easter (Imiolek 51)

Ref: Neil Hennessy

Att: 9,933

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