Sale Sharks director of rugby Steve Diamond has praised the character of his players after they beat Gloucester Rugby in their Aviva Premiership opener.

Tries from Mark Cueto and Andy Forsyth helped the Sharks earn a narrow 22-16 victory at Kingsholm Stadium on Saturday.

"I think we played better than them in the first half and though they edged us in the second half, we showed enough character to hang on," Diamond told the league's official website.

Sale play their first home match of the season on Friday when they host the Newcastle Falcons.