Match Centre: Sale Sharks 25-20 Bristol Bears

Sale Sharks 25-20 Bristol Bears, Salford City Stadium

Sale Sharks managed to hold off Bristol Bears as they sealed a 25-20 victory in the latest round of the Gallagher Premiership at Salford City Stadium on Saturday.

This is seventh win for Sale Sharks from nine games as they consolidated their second position in the table while Bristol Bears are at 10th position.

The opening try of the game came in the 8th minute as Jean-Luc du Preez's lovely quick offload sent Rob over in the corner but the fly-half missed out on the conversion. Bristol responded back in the 20th minute as Piers O'Conor dived over and Callum Sheedy kicked the conversion to put them two points ahead.

The home side seized the lead back again when Tom Roebuck grabbed a kick ahead of Charles Piutau and went over for their second try and Rob du Preez kicked the conversion and followed with a penalty goal to make it 15-7.

Just over the half hour mark, O'Conor went over again and Sheedy improved it to reduce the gap to one point before AJ MacGinty kicked penalties on either side of the break to make the scoreline 15-20.

Rob du Preez scored Sale's first points in the second half as he slotted a three-pointer in the 49th minute and MacGinty had a chance to restore Bristol's five point lead but his penalty goal drifted wide as the scoreline remained at 18-20 at the end of the third quarter.

With 13 minutes left in the game, Jean-Luc du Preez powered over from close range after a five-metre lineout and his brother Rob improved to extend Sale's lead to 25-20 which they managed to hold off in the remainder of the game.

“They responded and they didn’t kick stones, which you can do after an event (the red card) like that," said Alex Sanderson.

“They managed it very well physically, played in the right areas and came alive in attack and showed the endeavour they have shown in the last couple of weeks.

“It is another performance worthy of all the work they have done in pre-season. That is what I am most happy about, that is what I am chuffed about.”

Team line up:

Bath: de Glanville; Cokanasiga, Joseph, Redpath, Muir; Francis, B Spencer; Boyce, Dunn, A Coetzee, Attwood, McNally, Bayliss, White, J Coetzee.

Reserves: Doughty, Schoeman, Stuart, W Spencer, van Velze, Schreuder, Bailey, de Carpentier.

Sale: L. James; Roebuck, S James, Tuilagi, O’Flaherty; R Du Preez, Warr; McIntyre, van der Merwe, Schonert, Wiese, J Hill, du Preez, B Curry, D Du Preez.

Reserves: Ashman, Harrison, Harper, Ross, T Curry, Simpson, Curtis, Reed.