Bath secured the bonus point win to move within one point of leaders Northampton Saints, after they won 31-26 against Sale at CorpAcq Stadium on Sunday.
Windy Conditions
The wind played havoc with the box kicking game, as Bath struggled to get the ball away. However indiscipline from Sale, especially Nathan Jibulu, who was warned by referee Ollie Pearce, allowed Bath to get up the field. Joe Cokanasiga thought he had scored the first try of the game, but he was held up by one of three Bath tacklers hanging off of him. However, Dan Frost went over from close range after some good work by Bath, which was converted by Santi Correras to make it 7-0, after 18 minutes.
It was then Bath’s indiscipline that turned the game on his head. Firstly on 25 minutes, Cokanasiga was shown a yellow card and headed to the sin bin, and a minute later, Sale took advantage of the extra man, as Tom O’Flaherty got the ball in acres of space on the wing and easily over for the try. George Ford converted to level the score at 7-7.
Sale Take The Lead
Then, on 30 minutes, Rob du Preez goes over the try line but referee Pearce deemed him to have been held up. Just as they are going back for a scrum, the TMO gets involved and says that the ball was grounded for a try. So Pearce had no choice but to award the try, which was again converted by Ford to make it 14-7.
After the Cokanasiga sin bin had finished and Sale had taken the lead, Dan Frost was sent to the bin for repeated infringements on 38 minutes. And a minute later, Luke Cowan-Dickie dropped over the line as the Sale maul forces the Bath defence back to the try line to make 19-7. Ford missed the conversion so the sides went it at half time with Sale ahead by 12 points.
Both Sides Battling
Bath still had eight minutes left on the Dan Frost sin bin, so started the second half with 14 men, but that did not stop them. Four minutes after the restart, birthday boy Louis Hennessey goes over for an easy score, after some great phase work by the Bath Forwards. The ball came out to Tom Carr-Smith, and Carreras flicked the ball on to Hennessey. Carreras then converted the try to make it 19-14 to Sale.
Just as Bath returned to full strength on 49 minutes, Ethan Staddon went over for Bath’s third try, after a penalty was taken quickly and Carreras passed it to Staddon, as Sale were still getting set. However, Carreras missed the conversion so the score was tied at 19-19.
The game opened up as both sides searched for the much needed win. Sale went back ahead on 59 minutes, when Tom Roebuck came from nowhere to snatch a pass and score. After 16 phases of play and with a penalty advantage, Raffi Quirke popped up the ball from the floor and Roebuck arrived to secure a bonus point. Ford converted this one to make it 26-19 to Sale.
Bath Show Determination
With 20 minutes left in the game, Bath turned up the pressure. On 62 minutes, Bath steal a Sale lineout and the ball was tapped down to Kepi Tuipulotu. The hooker then evaded a tackle, and ran down the touchline, before kicking the ball through the Sale back line. Bernard van der Linde scooped up the kick, sidestepped a player to score under the posts for the bonus point and Carreras converted to make it 26-26.
Bath then went over for their fifth try of the afternoon, when after 23 phases of play and some great defending by Sale, Alfie Barbeary sold a dummy, which was bought by the Sale defensive line, and he dived over for the score. Carreras missed the conversion to make 31-26 to Bath.
There was still time for Sale though, and after some great phase work by the Sale forwards, they were on the Bath try line. The ball was passed back to George Ford, but in a good position and with the game on the line, Ford knocked the ball on, and ended Sale’s hopes of winning the game.
Bath secured the five points they needed to close the gap on Northampton Saints to one point, whilst Sale secured the losing bonus point as well as the try bonus point.
