Heartbreak, high drama and devil-take-the-hindmost was the potent blend of factors that thrust a risk-taking Sale team into next month's Parker Pen Shield final in Oxford after a nerve-jangling victory that must surely rank as one of the most engrossing contests yet seen in European club competition.
A last-minute penalty miss from well inside the 22 by Ludovic Mercier, Gloucester's normally ultra-reliable goal-kicker, left his team-mates ashen-faced and their 4,000 travelling supporters like mourners at a Sunday funeral. Yet brave Sale had thoroughly earned their reprieve, having plundered four of the game's seven tries with a passion that bordered on fury.
Jim Mallinder, the Sale coach, was not exaggerating when he said: "We played sublime stuff straight out of the top drawer and we're looking forward with relish to what the rest of the season holds for us." On this form the Cheshire club also look to be strong contenders for the Zurich Championship play-offs finale.
As outwardly calm in defeat as in victory, Nigel Melville, the Gloucester coach, declined to hold his prolific points scorer Mercier responsible. "Ludo very nearly won us the match," he said, noting that the Frenchman had kicked three tricky conversions, a penalty and a long-range drop goal in a blustery crosswind.
Bizarrely, Sale, who had twice suffered heavy losses to Gloucester in this season's Premiership, scored all 28 points in a 32-minute purple patch that straddled the interval. To get into pole position Sale had to claw back a 13-0 deficit and to stay in front they had to protect a one-point lead for a cliff-hanging last 10 minutes.
Early on Sale had no answer to the dynamic Gloucester pack. So solid was their platform that Terry Fanolua found abundant space after just three minutes to make a lancing run that culminated in a try close to the posts.
Midway through the half Gloucester were on the brink of taking complete control, having extended their lead to 13-0 courtesy of Mercier, who followed up a 40-metre drop goal with a 30-metre angled penalty. By that stage the self-confidence of the Sale forwards had taken a heavy shellacking from the dominant men in the Gloucester pack, Phil Vickery, Mark Cornwell and the ebullient Junior Paramore.
Sale at last got off the mark with a 25-metre penalty by Charlie Hodgson and in the 10 minutes before half-time Jason Robinson and Hodgson both cut loose in imperious style, setting up neatly constructed tries in the left corner for Mark Cueto and Steve Hanley respectively.
Sale tails were well and truly up and there was more of the same to come. Within minutes of the restart, Gloucester were reeling in the face of the bewildering combination moves Sale employed across the full width of the pitch. The South African hooker Charl Marais took a short transfer from Hanley before scoring at the left flag and soon afterwards an exhilarating cross-field move culminated in a try on the right for Dan Harris.
Then came a sustained Gloucester fightback. Within minutes of Hodgson pushing Sale into a 28-13 lead with a penalty from halfway, James Forrester breached the Sale defence to score on the right. Next the eager Fanolua grabbed his second try, peeling off the side of a maul to set up a heart-stopping finale.
Gloucester: Catling; O'Leary, Fanolua, Todd, Simpson-Daniel; Mercier, Gomarsall; Woodman (Collazo, 52), Azam, Vickery (capt), Cornwell, Pearce (Fidler, 52), Forrester, Sewabu (Boer, 52), Paramore.
Scorers: Tries: Fanolua 2, Forrester. Cons: Mercier 3. Pen: Mercier. Drop goal: Mercier.
Sale: Robinson; Cueto, Shaw, Harris (Beane, 76), Hanley; Hodgson, Redpath (capt); Yates, Marais, Turner, Fullerton, Jones, Sanderson, Pinkerton, Anglesea.
Scorers: Tries: Cueto, Hanley, Marais, Harris. Con: Hodgson. Pen: Hodgson. Drop goal: Hodgson.
Referee: N Whitehouse (Wales).
Attendance: 5, 785.
