That he strained his neck at the bottom of a ruck and was forced off with little more than a quarter of the game gone was the only negative on an otherwise perfect night for Sale.

However, Chabal said: "I'm okay. I just got hit by a big tackle and felt pretty dazed and my neck was sore, but I'm fine." The player nicknamed 'Caveman' is due to see Sale's club doctor tomorrow morning.

Director of rugby Philippe Saint-Andre said: "He has a sore neck but I don't think it'll be a worry. It's a shame he had to go off but he brought a lot of power in the beginning."

Saint-Andre's men ended Bath's five-match winning run with a result which encouraged hopes of reaching the quarter-finals of an oft-maligned competition.

Sale were destroyed by Cardiff in their Pool B opener last week but they fully deserved this success. That fly-half Charlie Hodgson again proved their talisman, landing 20 points with a flawless kicking display, came as no surprise to anyone.

England prop Andrew Sheridan also made a telling impact on his first appearance of the season, as did Argentina's Lobbe brothers, Juan Fernandez and Iganacio Fernandez.

However, Saint-Andre added: "We've got a lot of work to do - it's good to have the World Cup players back, but we are rusty. We are not precise enough in a lot of areas but it was good to beat Bath.

"Our defence was good but we were not precise enough in a lot of areas."

Sale's only try came from Chris Bell in the first half while disappointing Bath's points came from a Lorne Ward try and a conversion and penalty from Shaun Berne.

Bath counterpart Steve Meehan said: "I thought (we lost the game) at the breakdown. They got an advantage for whatever reason - I wasn't particularly happy with the way that was officiated.

"But that's the way the game went. If you're allowed to play like that you might as well keep going so full marks to the guys from Sale who took advantage of that.

"Our kicking game, and our kick-chase game in particular, wasn't up to scratch. Having said that second half our guys fought on gainly and showed a lot of character and resistance. We're particularly happy with the second-half showing.

"We'll see what happens with the other results. One try apiece tonight so there's not a five-point win there for Sale.

"I thought Lorne Ward did particularly well against Andrew Sheridan tonight and will probably sleep well and wake up a bit sore. He did a fantastic job for us."