There is a light that never goes out

This column isn't just a review of a game of rugby, a warts and all view of the events of the last week painting a picture of all that happened in the game, it's a supporter's column. It does what it says on the tin.

Written by and for any Sale Sharks' fans who should care to read it, it purports to be nothing other than one man's interpretation of what happened. You might not agree, and that is your right, but I'm still entitled to say what I think.

It might not always make for pleasant reading, but you can only write about what you witness and try to be as fair and objective as you can.

I was surprised that the London Irish review attracted such criticism.

Frankly, having re-read it, I don't think the piece was as harsh as some people have claimed: you should've heard what the Sale supporters were saying at the Madesjki Stadium if you want to know what criticism truly is. I stand by every word and can honestly say that even though I am an eternal optimist, there was nothing positive to take from that game, that was the most disappointing thing about the day.

I'm not Stephen Jones or Brian Moore, clearly I'm not Mick Cleary either. I never will be, nor would I want to be.

I'm a Sale Sharks supporter who follows his team wherever and whenever he can. If the team don't perform, I have every right as a paying punter to express my opinions. If some take offence at what's been written, then the answer lies in their own hands. If you disagree, then either don't read the column or alternatively write one yourself.

The only drawback I feel obliged to highlight, is that you won't get paid for your efforts should you choose to be such a scribe. That may in fact be one of the reasons why you won't find Stephen Jones putting pen to paper here.

Although I may at times be critical, I will always be back for more. That's not because I'm a glutton for punishment, it's because I care.

That's the point about being a supporter - you can't change your allegiance just because things aren't going the way you'd like. Supporting a sporting team is all about passion, dedication and commitment: you can't just walk away or change brands if you're dissatisfied with the product.

You have to be able to take the highs and the lows and still be loyal and true to your team. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I would continue to watch Sale Sharks even if they played on a paddy field.

The Stade Yves Du Manoir is about as far away from a paddy field as you're ever likely to get. The stadium has only recently been completed and was the home base for the Australian national side during the World Cup.

What a fantastic setting and what a superb ground, though I should point out, if anyone wishes to travel there at some future stage, I'd pack the crampons and oxygen tanks. The seats in the Eden Park stand were positioned roughly at the same altitude as some low flying aircraft, if you've a fear of heights, then I'd probably give it a miss.

Having said that, the view was superb. All in all it is a splendid place in which to watch a rugby match. It's a shame then that only one team seemed to want to play.

The Hérault side showed back at Edgeley Park earlier in the competition that they were no pushovers. For 35 minutes they had Sale rattled with aggressive and committed rugby. Had it not been for a virtuoso try from Charlie Hodgson, they could've gone in at half time on an equal footing.

Their home record speaks volumes. They are a proud team who will always fight no matter what the odds are. If anyone thought the win and the bonus point were there for the taking, they were kidding themselves. This was always likely to be the most difficult fixture in the group.

Montpellier are a strong and fiercely competitive side with some quality players. Toleafoa, Britz and Hancke might not be the most recognisable names, but they always give their all for the team.

In Picamoles they have arguably one of the future superstars of French rugby. The former under 21 international back row forward might not have made Marc Lièvremont's final cut for the Six Nations this time, losing out to Vermeulen, Dusautoir, Bonnaire and Quedraogo, but his chance will inevitably come.

In his back row battle with Chabal, most agreed he probably shaded it. He was everywhere, ferreting for the ball whenever he could and taking the game to Sale with lung-bursting, bullocking runs.

Montpellier set their stall out from the whistle and pressed the Sharks back with a blitz defence that even Shaun Edwards would've been proud of. For the first 20 minutes Sale struggled to get out of their own half. There were brief signs of hope as Hodgson, McAlister and Bell started to throw the ball around, but these were quickly snuffed out by the Héraults.

Apart from some daredevil attempts to run the ball out of their own 22, Sale failed to make any headway against the determined Montpellier defence. The best they mustered were a couple of penalties which McAlister duly put away, though the Scottish referee's decision-making was, at best, erratic - more of him later.

Montpellier were just as aggressive in attack with Kuzbik and Sarraméa making a nuisance of themselves. Cueto didn't take too kindly to Kuzbik's in-your-face style of play. Admittedly he did play on the edge but it was effective.

After a prolonged period of possession, Montpellier were finally able to breach Sale's defence which had, up until that point, looked comfortable if a little overstretched. A cross-field move from the right flank ended with a deft inside pass from Picamoles to Britz who raced into the corner to touch down. Todeschini converted from the touch line to give Montpellier a deserved lead.

From a Sale supporters' point of view there wasn't really a lot to sing and dance about: given the height and rake of the stand, that was perhaps just as well or we may have finished up 30 rows down. I'm pretty sure Sale's lacklustre showing wasn't done for the health and welfare of the supporters though.

Having said that, McAlister did demonstrate why he is so highly rated in world rugby. Although the team around him wasn't performing to the standards that he and we expect, he continued to give his all and was finally rewarded with a try that was really conjured out of nothing.

He seized upon a rare Hérault misplaced pass and cut inside Lespinas and Stoïca before powering into the corner for a superb individual score. He couldn't convert from the acute angle, but at least he gave some hope to the travelling fans as the half finished Montpellier 7, Luke McAlister 11.

There was, as one might expect, a great deal of wailing and gnashing of teeth during the interval. Questions were asked about why Sale seemed to lack spark and fire and a few comments made about how we should be able to despatch a team like Montpellier with ease.

What some may have failed to notice is that Montpellier had played exceptionally well and on the balance of play deserved to have the lead. Had the referee not been so one-eyed they probably would have.

Every one of the travelling contingent expected much more of Sale during the second half. It's been a peculiarity of their game this season that they only start to play after an ear bashing at half time from Philippe Saint André. Montpellier had tired visibly during the second half at Edgeley Park, and I think many supporters fancied a repeat performance with the Sharks going on to a comfortable win.

That didn't happen - in fact, if anything Montpellier got stronger and it was Sale who appeared to wilt.

Mr McPherson, the referee, obviously played by a different set of rules to everyone else. The crowd were incensed by some of his decisions, prompting one Montpellier supporter to ask just how much we paid him. How Sale managed to win so many penalties and generally be on the right side of so many dubious decisions, I know not.

Lilo Martens was clearly in touch when he took the Garryowen from Buada, but the referee seemed to think that the ball was already out when he took it. It wasn't but he's the man with the whistle.

For all the possession Sale had, they couldn't make any inroads into the resolute Hérault defence. Picamoles and Hancke were immense and refused to take a backward step. Even when Sarraméa was carded for deliberately killing the ball, the numerical advantage was not made to pay.

All that Sale could muster was another McAlister penalty. Even the injection of fresh legs with Mayor, Bruno and Evans didn't alter the course or pattern of the game. Sale kicked away possession needlessly and backed off waiting for the counter-attack.

Given the amount of territory and ball that Montpellier had, it was inevitable that they would score. Jason White was brought on, replacing Schofield and Chabal moved to the second row to shore up the defence, but it was to no avail. Cueto was carded at around the same time that Sarraméa returned to the pitch, leaving Sale under pressure and understaffed.

Lund was penalised by the referee for deliberately knocking the ball on - one decision he did actually get right. Montpellier chose to go for the corner rather than the posts and you sensed the worst.

A clean lineout take and a bit of grunt and Montpellier were over the Sale line. Deservingly it was that man Picamoles who scored. Todeschini levelled the scores with his conversion and things didn't look too good if you were a Sale supporter.

The Sharks, urged on by a clearly frustrated McAlister, pressed as hard as they could for the last 10 minutes - to guarantee a home quarter and semi-final, a win was essential.

Montpellier were penalised for not rolling away just inside their own half and Sale were given a penalty. Perhaps it was a sign of the growing desperation that McAlister opted to kick for the posts inspite of the distance. His kick fell just short, but the breathlessness of the last ditch Sale attacks at least gave some glimmer of hope.

Although time was up Sale were awarded a five-metre scrum after Montpellier knocked on. As hard as Sale tried they could not force the Hérault team to back off and retreat.

The referee was patience personified as the scrum continued to collapse or stand up time after time. As Montpellier were desperate to keep the scores as they were and ensure their own qualification and Sale were intent upon stealing a win, it was kind of inevitable that the penalty should finally be awarded.

With the final kick of the match McAlister lofted a lovely floated shot towards the sticks only to see it glance off the upright and bounce out. We all saw it, and so did the Montpellier supporters.

Mr McPherson apparently didn't and asked the fourth official to adjudicate. Bizarre isn't the word to describe the mood or state of confusion in the stadium. I've never personally seen it done before, nor had any of the other supporters I spoke to. Still, the replays clearly showed the kick had bounced out and that was it, game over: Montpellier 14, Luke McAlister 14.

In the end it was a sad way to finish the league campaign in Europe. Perhaps the most telling part was that you would think Sale had lost given the look on the supporters' faces.

To Montpellier and their fans, the draw was as good as a cup win and the elation was there for all to see. They fully deserved the draw, if not the win. They were undoubtedly the better team on the night and played with a style and plan that frustrated Sale from the off.

I don't know what people will make of the result, but there will obviously be a bit of a backlash at the disappointing showing. Maybe had the players arrived earlier and not been forced to wait at an airport until 10 o'clock on the night before the match, things might've been different. Had we played the whole game the way we played the last 15 minutes, we might've come away with four points rather than two.

Whatever questions will be raked over during the coming days, the one point not to lose sight of is that wining in France is never easy.

If you play against a decent team who never give up or give in, maybe the draw wasn't that bad a result. But the performances will have to be infinitely better if Sale are to progress any further in this competition.