Matchday Live

A brace from Rauridh McConnochie helped Bath head into the break trailing by just four, before an error-strewn second-half frustrated Alex Sanderson’s side. McConnochie’s second came on the stroke of half time and the momentum saw them breach the Sharks defence through Max Ojomoh to take the lead.

With ten minutes left to overturn six points, Sharks surrendered a penalty from five metres out that Finn Russell booted into a vacant backfield, pounced upon by Tom Carr-Smith in a decisive, and controversial, momentum swing.

“That was the game”, said Sale Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson post-match. “There were loads of opportunities when we could’ve taken the game away from them, but there was a 14 point swing there that I’m really struggling to get over.

“Honestly, I’ve got sour grapes. We’ll go through due process, look at the tapes, but I don’t have to look at them, there’s a hand on the floor, the ball is kicked 4, 5 metres past the mark, yet the try stands.”

Reed was the first to cross, stepping past Joe Cokanasiga to finish off a tidy multi-phase attack after du Preez’s Jean-Luc and Rob combined to spread the ball wide.

A penalty created an eight point lead before McConnochie’s first, a walk in from a Russell miss pass, before Rob du Preez scored himself, going down a unguarded blindside after Tom O’Flaherty claimed a beautifully weighted Joe Carpenter grubber to barge within range.

Those two tries and another penalty earned Sale a 16-7 lead with all the momentum behind them before the break, but McConnochie grabbed his second with the clock in the red when he danced through off a nicely delayed Finn Russell pass.

“I’m really frustrated that we had the opportunities”, said Sanderson. “I’m more frustrated that there’s things that I can’t control.

“It was a massive effort. That’s why it hurts so much, why it stings. There were still things under our control that could’ve taken the game away from then, we’ll look at them and own that.

“I had every faith in us. I’d much rather be in this position than not have England players, I don’t want to put a ceiling on them.

“There are good players being filled in for but we enough to get the job done. We need to improve out ability to keep the ball and be more clinical, but the scoreline blows out by ten points by reasons that I’ve said so it looks worse than it is.”

McConnochie’s brace provided Bath with the momentum to attack in the second half, with pressure compounded by Sale mistakes. A missed kick to touch on the half way became a scrum penalty, which became an attacking Bath lineout and 20 phases later Max Ojomoh crossed to give Bath the lead.

That three-point lead doubled when Russell knocked over a penalty from 40 out, the visitors profiting of a kick straight into touch under minimal pressure.

The most frustrating mistake was the most decisive, with Carr-Smith’s length of the field effort taking Bath 13 points clear. A try from the outstanding Joe Carpenter with 90 seconds to go gave Sale some fleeting hope, but the hosts never looked like going the length, a penalty confirming Bath’s win and denying Sale the losing bonus point.