A young Sharks side lost out by a single point at the CorpAcq Stadium as Gloucester picked up the win in round three of the Prem Rugby Cup pool stage.
Tries from Player of the Match Toby Wilson as well as Osian Roberts, James Harper and Nye Thomas meant Sale picked up two losing bonus points to keep their hopes of qualification alive.
But a more experienced Cherry and Whites team held on to take five points home down the M5.
Ahead of the club’s Remembrance game, the 5,170-strong crowd fell silent for the Last Post and then joined soldiers from the 4th Battalion The Duke of Lancaster Regiment and participants from the Sale Sharks Foundation’s Sharks Forces veterans programme in a moving minute’s silence.
When the action on the field started it took the visitors just five minutes to take the lead. After a Gloucester scrum inside the Sharks 22 the ball was shifted to the right and after a series of pick and go’s, flanker Caio James pushed his way over. George Barton converted to give Gloucester a seven-nil lead.
Sharks put that early disappointment behind them and after coming close through Obi Ene, they drew level when centre Toby Wilson powered over with the help of his forwards and Tom Curtis converted.
Chances came and went for Warren Spragg’s team but it was Gloucester who re-took the lead when a quick attack saw the ball shifted to the left wing and after a two-on-one took out the last Sharks defender, winger Jack Cotgreave crossed. Barton was on the money again to restore Gloucester’s seven-point lead.
Just four minutes later Sharks were level. A break from Wilson was stopped short of the line and after a penalty and a dominant scrum, the ball was flung to Osian Roberts who crashed through two tackles to touch down.
It looked as though the sides would go into the break all square, but Gloucester had other ideas. From the kick-off Sharks cleared and the visitors attacked and won a penalty. Scrum-half Mikey Austin took a quick tap and fed Will Trenholm who touched down. Barton converted again to give Gloucester a 14-21 half-time lead.
The second half was much more cagey but Sharks drew level once again on 56 minutes when James Harper used his power to crash over and Curtis added the extras.
On 70 minutes the impressive Barton slotted a penalty to take Gloucester into the lead and a three point lead became eight when Caio James powered over for his second.
With the clock in the red and a Gloucester win confirmed, Sharks went hunting two bonus points and after a penalty five metres out, replacement scrum-half Nye Thomas danced over for Sharks’ fourth try. Curtis converted, but it was too little, too late.
