Sale: (3) 18 Pens: Lamb 5 Gloucester: (12) 15 Pens: Hodgson 4, Wigglesworth Drop goals: Robinson

Premiership debutant Ryan Lamb sent over four penalties to one from Charlie Hodgson to give the visitors a 12-3 lead at half-time.

Lamb slotted another kick early in the second half but Sale landed four penalties to draw level at 15-15.

Skipper Robinson then clinched victory, although Ludovic Mercier missed a last-gasp penalty for Gloucester.

Sale, knocked out of the Heineken Cup by Biarritz last week, played into the wind in the first half.

They were also without Sebastien Chabal, who withdrew through illness in the morning, and were behind within two minutes as England Under-21 fly-half Lamb marked his debut with a penalty.

His full England counterpart Hodgson soon trimmed the gap with a penalty of his own after Gloucester just managed to repel a sustained Sale drive.

But despite having the better of the first half territorially Sale found themselves trailing 12-3 as Lamb landed three further penalties.

Sale had the wind in the second half but went further behind as Lamb made it five penalties out of five after an incisive Olly Morgan run.

The Sale pack then started to take charge and Hodgson kicked three penalties to make it 15-12 as the game entered the final quarter.

The England fly-half missed another effort when the ball wobbled in the wind as he struck it but Sale drew level when Richard Wigglesworth took over after Hodgson picked up a knock and slotted a simple penalty.

Conditions then deteriorated, with hail falling near horizontally, and Sale claimed victory when Robinson slotted a drop goal with seven minutes remaining.

Mercier could have grabbed a draw but the wind was blowing so strongly he needed the ball to be held and he only managed a poor connection which sent it harmlessly wide.