Four-try Bath battle elements to beat Sale

The Prem

Bath (21) 28

Tries: Arundell, Redpath, Obano, Ojomoh Cons: Spencer 4

Sale (9) 16

Tries: Jibulu Cons: Ford Pens: Ford Drop-goal: Ford 2

Bath made it 2 wins from 2 successful nan Prem this play arsenic they hit Sale 28-16 connected a miserably bedewed and windy nighttime astatine nan Rec.

Henry Arundell, Cameron Redpath and Beno Obano each crossed for Bath during nan first half arsenic nan hosts opened an 11-point lead.

An awesome George Ford kicked 11 points, including 2 drop-goals, to support Sale successful touch earlier nan Sharks scored their first effort done Nathan Jibulu soon aft nan break to adjacent nan spread to five.

The visitors' defence worked successful overdrive to support Bath from getting immoderate much connected nan committee until Max Ojomoh chased and touched nan shot down 3 minutes from full-time to springiness nan reigning champions nan maximum 5 points from nan game.

With swirling upwind and rainfall that intensified arsenic nan nighttime went on, playing nan conditions arsenic overmuch arsenic nan guidance was half nan conflict for some sides.

Ford was fantabulous from nan footwear arsenic Sale started pinch nan upwind down them, kicking a pin-point punishment successful nan 3rd infinitesimal erstwhile Bath were penalised astatine nan breakdown.

Yet Bath looked astatine their ruthless champion erstwhile they sewage nan shot successful manus and they cantered into nan lead done an electrical Arundell effort - his 3rd successful 2 matches since joining this summer.

Ollie Lawrence collected a Sale footwear and raced from his ain half pinch nan winger connected his enarthrosis and Arundell skipped and accelerated, past accelerated again, to sprint into nan area nether nan watchful oculus of England caput coach Steve Borthwick.

Ford's quick-thinking closed nan spread to a constituent arsenic he kicked a drop-goal retired of obscurity erstwhile Sale were pushed backmost successful attack.

But Bath again moved further successful beforehand arsenic Cokanasiga's kick-chase forced Ford to find touch heavy successful his ain territory, and from nan line-out Miles Reid punched a spread done and Redpath ran past nan posts.

While a 2nd Ford punishment bounced disconnected nan sticks, Bath's clearance came consecutive backmost to him and nan England fly-half opportunistically scooped up nan ball, took a measurement wrong nan halfway statement and sweetly landed a 2nd drop-goal to make it 14-9.

But Sale skipper Ernst van Rhyn was shown yellowish six minutes earlier nan break for a cynical foul arsenic Lawrence came centimetres from scoring, and connected nan restart Obano powered complete for Bath's third.

Hooker Jibulu scored Sale's only effort 7 minutes aft nan restart, barging complete from adjacent range, yet their defence had to beryllium stone coagulated to stifle Bath - who mislaid fastener pairing Charlie Ewels and Quinn Roux, and flanker Ted Hill to wounded - arsenic nan crippled went on.

Sale made much than 120 tackles, defending 57 phases successful their ain 22 without conceding immoderate points, earlier Ojomoh chased down Ben Spencer's spot and showed awesome accomplishment to dot it down conscionable earlier it went dormant for nan all-important 4th try.

Bath caput of rugby Johann van Graan said:

"Five points to america zero to them successful very difficult conditions, very happy pinch that.

"Who knows really nan play mightiness spell but I would person taken aft 2 rounds, sitting wherever we are pinch 10 points.

On injuries to Charlie Ewels, Quinn Roux and Ted Hill

"Charlie knee, Quinn looks for illustration some knees and Ted an ankle. If you look astatine nan Premiership past play [there were] a batch of large trauma injuries.

"All teams will get it and it's who deals pinch it nan best. We'll conscionable make judge that we look aft them and it's adjacent man up."

Sale head of rugby Alex Sanderson said:

"We astir apt deserved thing retired of it connected effort unsocial but we didn't wed up nan physicality and nan effort pinch accuracy and subject and connected a really bedewed nighttime subject is cardinal – it's giving a squad of that calibre excessively galore opportunities.

"There's aspects of our defence which we'll look backmost and beryllium really proud of and aspects wherever we were capable to instrumentality successful that crippled that we are proud of.

"But connected nan backmost of a prize constituent triumph for them and thing from america it's immoderate mini consolation for america connected a bedewed nighttime astatine nan Rec.

"We request to study nan lessons coming we request to study them this week."

Bath: De Glanville; Cokanasiga, Lawrence, Redpath, Arundell, Ojomoh, Spencer (c); Obano, Dunn, Sela; Roux, Ewels, Hill, Pepper, Reid.

Replacements: Frost, Van Wyk, Griffin, Molony, Underhill, Carr-Smith, Butt, Barbeary.

Sale: Carpenter; Roebuck, R. du Preez, Bedlow, O'Flaherty, Ford, Warr; Rodd, Jibulu, Opoku-Fordjour; Bamber, Andrews, Van Rhyn (c), B. Curry, Dugdale.

Replacements: Caine, McIntyre, John, Burrow, Woodman, Hanson, Reed, Louw.

Sin bin: Van Rhyn (34 mins), John (79 mins)

Referee: Anthony Woodthorpe