Toulon delivered a nine try thrashing of Sale Sharks at Stade Felix Mayol on Saturday evening, handing the visitors their heaviest defeat in the history of the Heineken Cup. Oozing with local and foreign talent, the French side won the game 62-0.
Sale defended manfully in the first half as two attempted tries weren't awarded, but once the dam broke, it was a dazzling 50 minutes of rugby as Toulon scored seven tries in the second half.
They, along with Clermont and Harlequins, have made it four from four and will now focus on domestic silverware ahead of the tournament resuming again early in 2013.
It was a lowpoint for Sale, who now have former All Blacks coach John Mitchell on board.
"We were coming here looking to build on the previous performance at home but that wasn’t achieved and we are very disappointed," said Mitchell, who joined from the Gauteng Lions.
"I've been looking at this group of players ahead of the Christmas period and I certainly know a lot more about some individuals after that performance. Some of the characters have been revealed and I don’t have a lot of choice in some positions.
"But we don’t have any regrets – we got what we deserved. Toulon were exceptional," he said.
On a sidenote, an emotional moment's silence was held at the beginning of the game for former Sale player David Tait, who tragically lost his life in Hong Kong last week. May he rest in peace.