Harlequins boss Billy Millard explained that improved fundamentals were key to Quins finding their groove as they bounced back from consecutive defeats.
“For us to play the Quins stuff, it's got to be on the back of a really pragmatic kicking game and massive physicality,” he said. “When you play a team like Sale you focus in on it a bit more.
“It's always in the front of our mind and always has been, the boys certainly bought into it and executed it tonight.”
On Marcus Smith, he added: “He's just getting better. He showed tonight what he can do under physicality with a Test match type gameplan, and he executed it beautifully.”
Sale boss Alex Sanderson drew parallels with his club's heavy defeat to Exeter in the early rounds, but praised Quins for their display. He said: “It's quite similar, we weren't at the races and when you haven't quite got it in those top two inches you end up miles off on the scoreboard. It's frustrating and seems like a similar lesson we haven't learned from.
“Quins were really good. They squeezed us in the first half, really efficient in the red zone in the second half and we weren't.”
