Clermont victory vital before Northampton Saints – Alex Sanderson

“It’s way up there in terms of outcomes, performances and wins of all-time, not just Sale,” Sanderson said. “I’ve been there six to eight times with my old club [Saracens] and never won at that ground, so understanding the magnitude of not just the outcome but the nature of the performance is huge.”

That sense of scale matters as Sale turn their attention back to domestic duties this weekend, travelling to Franklin’s Gardens to face Northampton Saints in the Gallagher PREM on Saturday. Confidence has been in short supply after a run of four defeats across league and Europe, but the manner of the Clermont win has clearly shifted something within the group.

Sale arrived in France under pressure. An opening home defeat to Glasgow left little margin for error in Pool One of the Investec Champions Cup, with a daunting final-round trip to Toulouse after a home tie against Sharks.

Historically, two wins from four pool games has often been enough to reach the last 16 – but that meant Sale needed a result, and probably more than just a narrow one.

What followed was a performance built on clarity, intent and a refusal to be rattled by circumstances. Tom O’Flaherty crossed inside two minutes, setting the tone, before Marius Louw and Arron Reed extended Sale’s lead to 20-7 at the break despite Clermont enjoying more territory. Even when Reed was yellow-carded early in the second half and a Jacques Vermeulen try was chalked off, Sale held firm.

Clermont closed to within six through Lucas Zamora while Sale were down to 14, but Sanderson’s side showed a composure that has sometimes eluded them this season. After riding out a spell of intense pressure, they struck decisively.

Joe Bedlow marked his Champions Cup debut with a try after pouncing on a loose pass, securing the bonus point, before Alex Wills’ fine finish sealed a statement 15-point unanswered surge.

For Sanderson, the win was about far more than the scoreboard.

“It was important, so we can go into this game with some belief that this group can win against good sides away from home, without the likes of those who weren’t playing,” he said. “It’s important to give ourselves a chance at the Champions Cup. Realistically, we need a win from our next two games and we’re through. We have aspirations in both competitions.”

That belief was embodied by a number of individual performances, not least 20-year-old second row Tom Burrow. Already captain of England Under-20s and now a regular presence in Sale’s senior squad, Burrow delivered a coming-of-age display in the heat of European combat.

“Where he’s had to bridge the gap is in the physicality from U20s to Premiership and then to Europe,” Sanderson explained. “This game he was bang on it, smashing people and nailing people physically. If he was getting there on the back of that game, he’s arrived. He’s clearly a player that can mix it at the highest level.”

But Sanderson is under no illusions about how quickly momentum can fade in professional sport. However uplifting the night in Clermont was, it will mean little unless Sale can build on it at Northampton – another fierce, partisan setting, against a Saints side brimming with attacking firepower and character, not least the influential Henry Pollock, who is rapidly making a name for himself for his impact on the field and his personality away from it too.

“He punished us last time,” Sanderson admitted. “He’s great for the game. What we’ve looked at is his ability to impact the game, and he’s brilliant in that respect on both sides of the ball.”

For Sale, the challenge now is mental as much as physical. Clermont provided proof of what they can be when everything clicks. Franklin’s Gardens will test whether that performance was a one-off, or if it can be sustained.

“You can’t celebrate for too long,” Sanderson said. “You’ve got to get back on the horse and understand how you find that edge again against a really good team. That’s the challenge. That’s what I love about it.”