NEWPORT Gwent Dragons will be on their travels in the European Challenge Cup quarter-finals after being obliterated in their Pool Two shootout with Sale – and worryingly could be back in Salford in the last eight.

The Dragons were hammered 38-5 in a horribly one-sided affair for a winner-takes-top-spot encounter.

They had headed to the AJ Bell Stadium with their place in the knockout stages secure but with the incentive of earning a home tie. It was clear long before half-time that Rodney Parade would not be needed on the second weekend of April.

Lyn Jones’ side had played some terrific rugby to emerge from a tricky group containing Sale, Castres and Pau but saved their worst for last, making too many mistakes in attack and defence to enable a powerful Sharks pack to monopolise possession and give an armchair ride for fly-half Danny Cipriani, a man who you don’t want to give space, time and a lot of ball.

The Dragons were as bad at the AJ Bell Stadium in January as they were as good at the Stade du Hameau in December.

A catalogue of Manchester classic hits boomed out over the Tannoy throughout a perishing evening to one thinking ‘Heaven knows Lyn’s miserable now’.

And director of rugby Jones would have been well served to tell his players to remember the feeling as they sat in the away changing room approaching 10pm – use it as motivation if they return in April.

The Dragons will now probably be the runners-up with the highest points tally and will be sixth seeds unless Montpellier thrash Pool Three winners Harlequins on Friday evening.

Combined with Gloucester avoiding an unlikely tonking at the hands of Zebre on Saturday afternoon, that will lead to a reunion with the Sharks in the last eight.

Trips to Kingsholm, Grenoble or Edinburgh remain possible but another encounter with Sale seems on the cards.

The Dragons had been hoping for a repeat of Newcastle away last season, when they romped to glory in northern England thanks to a stunning first half display.

This time the boot was on the other foot – the Dragons were lucky to be only 24-0 down as they enjoyed their oranges.

Sale bossed early possession but got little change out of the visitors until things swung their way to almost put the game out of reach after a quarter of the game.

First a penalty against prop Phil Price for not rolling away was kicked to the 22 and though the Dragons defended the lineout well, their midfield got sucked in and Wales wing Hallam Amos was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on.

England reject Cipriani banged over the penalty and was soon adding the conversion to a try by tighthead Brian Mujati, who barged over down the right after the visitors’ defence was stretched all too easily.

The lead was 17-0 before Amos returned with Mujati and his fellow hefty prop Eifion Lewis Roberts doing the damage. First they marmalised the Dragons’ front eight to earn a penalty that Cipriani superbly smacked five metres short and then, after a driving lineout was held up over the line, they scrummed their way to a penalty try.

The Welsh supporters who had braved the motorways and ventured north hadn’t had much to cheer on a perishing night, their side starved of possession and struggling in defence.

The Dragons were lucky to still just about be in touch after a pair of escapes on their line either side of the half-hour mark, one through good defence and the other through attacking incompetence.

Amos managed to get his body underneath full-back Mike Haley and from the resulting scrum the ball was spread left for centre Sam James to barge through some paper-thin defence only to drop it while grounding near the sticks.

But Sale got the score they deserved to end the half with England new boy Josh Beaumont crashing over powerfully from a five-metre scrum, Cipriani adding the extras for a 24-0 lead.

It was a five-point haul for the Sharks with 48 minutes on the clock after another frightfully easy but brilliantly taken score.

That man Cipriani broke through after fielding his own grubber then showed great skill to pass out wide on the run to put wing Nev Edwards over down the left. The 10 twisted the knife with a touchline conversion for 31-0.

Job done by Sale and their boss Steve Diamond rang the changes, thankfully withdrawing Cipriani before another fly-half, this time in blue, sparked the next try.

Replacement Angus O’Brien spread play from a rare solid scrum and outside centre Adam Hughes made a lovely outside break before putting wing Ashton Hewitt over down the right; a terrific score to make it 31-5 on the hour.

But Sale deservedly had the final say when full-back Mike Haley cantered over in the closing stages of a painful evening.

Sale: M Haley, W Addison (M Jennings 53), S James, J Leota, N Edwards, D Cipriani (J Ford 53), P Stringer (J Mitchell 68), E L Roberts (R Harrison 58), T Taylor (N Briggs 58), B Mujati (V Cobilas 58), B Evans, A Ostrikov (J Mills 58), C Neild, M Lund (M Easter 40), J Beaumont (captain).

Scorers: tries – B Mujati, penalty, J Beaumont, N Edwards, M Haley; conversions – D Cipriani (4), J Ford; penalty – D Cipriani

Dragons: G R Jones (N Scott 66), A Hewitt, A Hughes, A Warren, H Amos, J Tovey (A O’Brien 58), S Pretorius (C Davies 66), P Price (B Stankovich 55), R Thomas (captain, E Dee 55), B Harris (S Knight 55), C Hill (M Screech 56), R Landman, L Evans (E Jackson 63), N Cudd, T Faletau.

Scorers: try – A Hewitt

Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)

Argus star man: Danny Cipriani