In a dramatic winner takes all tie, Ulster bagged a place in the HCC last 16 by beating Sale Sharks 22-11

This was effectively a knockout tie before the actual knockout stages as both sides sought to scramble into the top eight of Pool B. 

Visiting fly half, Rob Du Preez kicked Sale 3-0 up inside three minutes as Ulster started sluggishly. 

The seventeenth-minute sin-binning of Bevan Rodd changed the early momentum though.  Home winger, Rob Lyttle receiving the ball in space and exploiting the extra man with an expert, touchline finish to edge Ulster 5-3 in front. 

After Sam Carter was caught offside, Du Preez restored Sale's lead as the Premiership outfit dominated the breakdown.  Nathan Doak's penalty on the stroke of halftime put Ulster, somewhat against the run of play, up 8-6 at the break. 

Doak transformed from hero to villain early in the second half, however.  A deliberate knock-on saw him sin-binned and like Lyttle earlier on, Sale profited.  From an attacking line out, England International Tom Curry flew off the front side, sprinting into the corner for his second try against Ulster this season. Du Preez was wide with the conversion as the game, and qualification stakes remained on a knife edge. 

Yet Dan McFarland's men responded brilliantly, attacking with sustained ferocity.  Although Sale sublimely repelled them off the line in successive phases, one denying Duane Vermeulen, the hosts remained calm. 

Substitute hooker Rob Herring proved himself a hero when he bundled over after breaking off from a maul, his head emerging from his shirt to a raucous Kingspan. John Cooney converted for a four-point gap, 15-11 entering the final stages.

Game management was the key and Ulster fully utilised the "attack is the best form of defence" motto.  Persistent pressure drew another auditing sin bin, for flanker John Ross. 

Immediately, Vermeulen capitalised, the Springbok charging with venom over the line to send the home fans wild.  Cooney's conversion made it 22-11 and sealed a remarkable recovery in the Champions Cup as the Belfast province booked their place in the last 16.  One that they will hope, kickstarts their, before tonight, spluttering season.