Sale out of Heineken Cup

Both teams were fighting it out for the chance to qualify in one of the two best runner-up spots for the knock out stage of the Heineken Cup - and fight they did.

The Welsh province took an early advantage through Tandy who sat on the shoulder of a driving Brent Cockbain. The second row offloaded to Tandy who went over to give Ospreys the advanatge - James Hook missed the conversion.

Just four minutes later and the visitors were in total control as full back Terblanche raced clear to cross the try line. That score came from a mistake as Sale looked to break forward and a looping pass was met by the fingertips of Gavin Henson.

That was enough of an intervention for the ball to cut loose and Terblanche almost hesitated as he saw a gap open up, perhaps not quite believing that he was being presented with such a chance. Hook obliged with the conversion and Ospreys were 12-0 to the good after only ten minutes of play.

Hook added a penalty on 15 minutes after Sale were penalised for going in at the side of a ruck, and the score line reflected the balance of play.

Both sides were reduced to 14 men minutes later as Dean Schofield and Andy Lloyd were sent to the sin bin by Irish referee Alain Rolland for exchanging pleasantries in a very physical manner.

Richard Wigglesworth then looked to get the Sharks back into it when he spotted a gap in the Ospreys line and fizzed through it. Chris Mayor provided support and received the offload, but the diminutive Shane Williams made a try-saving tackle to maintain the points difference.

Sebastian Chabal was then sent to the bin for a frustrated stamp as Sale failed to capitalise on a period of sustained attack near the Ospreys try line.

Ben Foden looked to have got Sale back into the game as he raced over for a try after a fine run, but Schofield's indiscipline forced Rolland to call it back as the Sale second row had held back a potential tackler.

Sale managed Ospreys much more convincingly in the final ten minutes of the half and went into the break 15-0 down, albeit with a more positive attitude than that with which they had started the game.

The second half produced a far better performance from the home side, and they attacked with purpose immediately. Chabal initiated a move inside his own half and involved Steve Hanley - the move breaking down ten metres from the Ospreys line as Hook was sin-binned for giving away the penalty that halted play.

Sale punished that fault by scoring from the resulting set piece and produced a well worked routine which saw Juan Fernandez Lobbe crash over the line. Daniel Larrechea converted to make it 15-7 and give Sale hope.

A Henson penalty followed shortly after to make it 18-7 and that was how the score remained despite Sale's best efforts. Some rousing play included a barrage of Sale offence, and Wigglesworth was unlucky not to touch down a grubber kick in injury time.

However it was not to be, and Sale crashed out of this year's tournament while Ospreys were left waiting on the outcome of Munster v Leicester to see if they would progress.

In the group's other game, Stade Francais hammered Italian minnows Calvisano 47-6 in a dead rubber game in Paris. Stade administered a seven try mauling to make sure they enter the knockout stage in fine form.