It looked odds on that the champions were going to lose at half-time as they trailed 16-3 but a few words from their talismatic French head coach brought them to life after the break.

Saint-Andre, who has had to suffer criticism from his fans after the run of poor league results, said: "I think we showed a great spirit in the team and didn't give up. We came back from nowhwere to win this game and showed character and commitment.

"I am very pleased for the players. I think it was a great game, great for the fans.

"In the first half we didn't struggle in the line-outs and in the rucks. From there, we became a bit better and more balanced."

The Sale boss has had to cope with the loss of key players like prop Andrew Sheridan and flanker Jason White plus a crippling injury list in recent weeks.

But it is the loss of England star Charlie Hodgson at fly-half which has caused the biggest headaches.

Saint-Andre added: "The team is changing each week and we have no consistency. The fly-half was not fantastic because he's more a scrum-half and today we can be proud of what we have done.

"(Sebastien) Chabal is struggling, (Jason) Robinson was not quite right and (Daniel) Larrechea struggled from the first five minutes of the match.

"It's difficult. We have just 24 or 25 guys who are playing week in and week out and we have just come off a run of three games in 10 days. But I'm very pleased with the win. They are a very good team."