Former Australia and Argentina head coach Cheika said Tigers were "good in patches" against Sale, but admits a number of "fundamentals" were lacking in their performance.

The game marked the start of two months of uninterrupted league and European Champions Cup action for the East Midlands club before another month-long break for the Six Nations in February.

Cheika, who won Europe's biggest club honour during his time at Leinster's helm, says the loss at the Salford Community Stadium could prove to be "a positive thing".

"It's a good lesson for us to go, OK, it's time to front up to get to a better level, especially with the physicality of the game," he continued.