Sale saw their Heineken Cup campaign effectively ended at Heywood Road as a Llanelli side packed full of Welsh internationals clinched a thrilling victory.

The Sharks entered the interval 19-15 up after a highly-entertaining first half which brought five tries and two red cards, but Llanelli then stepped up a gear and Sale found themselves out-gunned up front.

Llanelli kept the home side penned deep in their own half for virtually the entire 40 minutes and reaped the reward of their sustained pressure with tries through Garan Evans and Martyn Madden.

Sale took some beating - they showed all the form which has carried them to second place in the Zurich Premiership - but Llanelli were equal to the task.

They have had an indifferent season so far but they displayed the character which has taken them to two Heineken Cup semi-finals in the last three years.

Racing out of the blocks, they scored through Scott Quinnell and Robin McBryde but tries from Mark Cueto, Jim Thorp and Vaughan Going saw the home side enter half-time in credit.

The pace of Sale's attacks clearly troubled the Welsh club but they eventually came to terms with their opponents' mobile pack, using their greater size up front to strangle the life out of the Sharks.

Llanelli made a blistering start and crossed for the first try of the evening after only one minute and 34 seconds.

Powerful Tongan winger Salesi Finau made the initial break, charging up the centre of the field before some quick recycling by his pack saw the ball fed to Stephen Jones.

He ran crossfield and then straightened up, carving open the Sale defence before rounding off the move by feeding British Lion Quinnell who dived over.

Stephen Jones easily made the conversion from in front of the posts and his team continued to pile on the pressure with the Sharks hardly getting a sniff of the ball.

They enjoyed a brief foray into enemy territory but the ball was knocked on in a promising position and Llanelli counter-attacked quickly and with purpose, breaking down the right flank.

Winger Mark Jones was eventually collared but his forwards arrived with perfect timing, driving play deep into the Sharks' half before another Lion, Robin McBryde, barged his way over.

Llanelli were on the rampage but Sale showed their determination by striking back with two tries in eight minutes - coming either side of a Stephen Jones penalty.

Fly-half Jos Baxendell went close to scoring from a quickly-taken free-kick only to be hauled down by Quinnell, but the ball was quickly recycled and spun out to Cueto.

The England A winger has become one of the deadliest finishers in the Zurich Premiership this season and he showed his ability to work in tight spaces again, rounding Finau before touching down.

Baxendell added the conversion and in the 25th minute prop Thorp rounded off some sustained pressure from his forwards to touch down in the left corner.

A large brawl broke out in the 30th minute involving several players from both sides, with French referee Joel Jutge brandishing red cards to Sale's Iain Fullarton and Llanelli's Dafydd Jones.

The Sharks were the stronger team as the half neared its conclusion and a powerful charge from number eight Chris Jones saw the ball set up 10 metres short of the Llanelli line and then fed to Going who showed some neat footwork to scamper his way over.

Stephen Jones slotted another penalty 12 minutes after the interval as Llanelli forced the home side onto the back foot once again. They nearly crossed in the 57th minute but substitute Barry Davies knocked on with the line begging.

Full-back Evans made no mistake shortly after, however, sprinting round Sharks hooker Charl Marais to touch down in the left corner, before prop Madden added his side's fourth try of the evening, which Jones converted.

Sale poured forward at the death but it was Llanelli's night, with the Welsh club becoming only the second side to win at Heywood Road this season.

Teams:

Sale: Going, Cueto, Harris, Bond, Hanley, Baxendell, Redpath, Thorp, Marais, Stewart, Fullarton, Schofield, Anglesea, Pinkerton, C. Jones.

Replacements: Roddham, Yates, Turner, Perelini, Wilks, Wigglesworth, Robinson.

Tries: Cueto, Thorp, Going.

Cons: Baxendell 2.

Llanelli: G. Evans, M. Jones, Watkins, L. Davies, S. Jones, Finau, Peel, I. Thomas, McBryde, Madden, Cooper, Wyatt, S. Easterby, D. Jones, Quinnell.

Replacements: J. Davies, John, Gross, Hodges, G. Easterby, G. Bowen, B. Davies.

Tries: Quinnell, McBryde, G. Evans, Madden.

Cons: S. Jones 2.

Pens: S. Jones 2.

Att: 5,700

Ref: Joel Jutge (France).