Match Centre: Gallagher Premiership: Bath Rugby 40-13 Sale Sharks
South Africa prop Thomas du Toit scored Bath’s third try against Sale
©Steve Haag Sports
Bath Rugby 40-13 Sale Sharks, The Rec
Bath Rugby soared to the top of the Premiership table with a convincing 40-13 victory over Sale Sharks at a sold-out Rec.
The home side scored six tries to claim the bonus-point win, while Beno Obano celebrated his 150th appearance for the club.
Bath set the tone early, with Will Muir marking his return from injury by crossing the line just two minutes into the game, with Finn Russell adding the conversion to give the hosts a 7-0 lead.
Sale responded with a Rob du Preez penalty in the 13th minute, but Bath continued their momentum.
A driving maul led to Miles Reid scoring Bath’s second try, followed by a powerful close-range finish from Thomas du Toit just three minutes after Sale had narrowed the gap with another du Preez penalty. Russell’s third successful kick of the half extended Bath’s lead to 21-6 at halftime.
Five minutes into the second half, Ted Hill added Bath’s fourth try, securing the bonus point with a dynamic run through Sale’s defense. Russell’s consistent kicking saw the hosts extend their lead to 28-6.
The game saw a twist in the 50th minute when Will Butt received a red card for a dangerous tackle, allowing Sale to capitalize on their numerical advantage. Will Addison crossed the line for the visitors, with du Preez converting to close the gap to 28-13.
However, Sale’s Nye Thomas was also shown red for a head-on-head tackle in the 62nd minute, and Tom Carr-Smith quickly responded with Bath’s fifth try. Russell maintained his perfect kicking record, making it five from five.
Francois van Wyk sealed the victory with a late try in the 77th minute, replicating his scoring effort from the previous week, to complete the final score of 40-13. This dominant performance saw Bath leap to the top of the Premiership standings.
Team line up:
Bath: De Glanville; Cokanasiga, Hennessey, Butt, Muir; Russell, Schreuder; Reid, Pepper, Hill, Molony, Roux, du Toit, Dunn, Obano.
Reserves: Annett, Van Wyk, Sela, Bayliss, Staddon, Carr-Smith, Bailey, Coetzee
Sale: Carpenter; Addison, James, Bedlow, Reed; R. du Preez, Warr; McIntyre, McElroy, Harper, Bamber, Andrews, van Rhyn, Dugdale, D. du Preez.
Reserves: Caine, Onasanya, Opoku-Fordjour, Roets, Beaumont, Thomas, Curtis, JL du Preez
