O'Neill knocks the wind out of Sale

A towering Charlie Hodgson dropped goal from 45 metres in the fourth minute of stoppage time gave Sale the lifeline of extra time, but there they foundered after a tremendous defensive display by Harlequins at Heywood Road. For all their attacking flair Sale were never allowed the space to let Jason Robinson run riot, or free Mark Cueto and Steve Hanley, the two top try scorers in the Premiership.

Behind a dominant Harlequins' pack, Paul Burke matched Hodgson kick for kick, and when extra time was called, time was up for Sale as they fell to a smart try by Ryan O'Neill in the first period. Although Hodgson kicked another penalty Burke completed an impressive afternoon's work with the conversion and his fifth penalty to earn Harlequins a home quarter-final against the European Cup holders, Leicester.

"There have been some things we have not been doing very well in recent weeks," said John Kingston, Harlequins' head coach. "Today was very important for us to get our season back on track. I thought we had done enough in normal time to have won it. But fair play to Charlie Hodgson. He gave them some light. But the result was fair."

There had been very little in it throughout a compelling first half that ended at 13-13, Sale having opened the scoring with a smart try engineered by Hodgson, who drew O'Neill to put Mel Deane under the crossbar. From then on, Hodgson was Sale's only scorer. Quins gathered some momentum through the driving play of their forwards, led from the front by the storming Garrick Morgan. Burke and Hodgson slotted two penalties each, before Quins were able to mark their growing authority by working Matt Moore across in the right corner. With Tony Diprose showing his best form of the season and Sale making a dog's breakfast of their line-out, coughing up five parcels of precious possession on their own throw.

Several chances went begging after the interval as Sale upped the pace of the game. But ignoring the overlap, and spilling the ball when in sight of the line, is hardly helpful.

"We didn't finish off the chances we created in the second half," acknowledged Jim Mallinder, Sale's coach. "We would have loved a decent cup run, but now we must refocus our season and work at putting scores away."

Hodgson and Burke took it to 22-22 at 80 minutes, each grabbing two penalties and a dropped goal. Although Hodgson's was the more notable, it was Quins who prevailed; and deserved to.

Sale: J Robinson; M Cueto, J Baxendell, M Deane, S Hanley (M Shaw, 55); C Hodgson, B Redpath (capt, A Dickens, 62); K Yates, A Titterell (C Marais, h-t), S Turner (A Black, 83), I Fullarton, S Lines, A Perelini (P Davies, 68), R Wilks, S Pinkerton.

Harlequins: R O'Neill; M Moore, W Greenwood, C Bell, D Luger (R Jewell, 51); P Burke, M Powell (S Bemand, 11-13); B Starr, K Wood (T Fuga, 89), J Leonard, G Morgan (capt), A Codling (B Davison, 57), R Winters, T Tamarua, T Diprose.

Referee: D Pearson (Ashington).