Six-try Bath powered their way to a bonus-point victory over Sale to round off the first block of Gallagher Premiership matches in style.
Both sides had a player sent off – Will Butt for Bath and Nye Thomas for Sale – but they were isolated incidents in a well contested and open match.
Just 65 seconds into the game, a deft inside pass from Bath tighthead prop Thomas du Toit sent Will Muir galloping through a gap in the Sale defence on an unstoppable trajectory to the try line. Finn Russell converted to get the home side off to a dream start.
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Muir was just as alert in defence to foil a blindside thrust by Sale skipper Rob du Preez but the fly-half was able to land a 13th-minute penalty from 30 metres.
His side was under pressure in the scrums, however, and conceding penalties, which put Bath in prime position for a second try on 19 minutes. The catch-and-drive from a line-out eventually saw skipper Miles Reid touching down, with Russell again adding the conversion.
Fixture
Gallagher Premiership
Bath
Sale
Another penalty from Rob du Preez’s boot kept his team in touch after it was Bath’s turn to feel the pressure. But that was quickly answered on 26 minutes when Du Toit showed a remarkable turn of pace to a take a Louis Schreuder pass and score under the posts.
Russell’s conversion was the last score of the first half as Sale stepped up their effort but without finding any reward.
Five minutes after the break, Ted Hill scored the bonus-point try, a spectacular effort bursting through two tacklers and weaving past Gus Warr to the posts to make it another simple conversion for Russell.
The joy was short-lived though as flanker Guy Pepper was helped off with a leg injury and centre Will Butt was red-carded for upending replacement lock Le Roux Roets at a ruck, letting him land on his head.
With Sale suddenly energised, it was now Bath losing their discipline and the visitors capitalised with an expertly taken try at the flag by right wing Will Addison, courtesy of an equally well-judged grubber kick by Joe Carpenter. Rob du Preez converted from the touchline to make the score 28-13.
Bath hit back on the hour, fashioning an opening for Muir but he was taken out in the corner by a double tackle from replacements Nye Thomas and Tom Curtis. Thomas was shown the red for a head-high challenge as a bloodied Muir received treatment.
Retribution was swift as Bath worked replacement scrum-half Tom Carr-Smith over in the right corner and Russell’s conversion made it 35-13.
A sixth try followed on 78 minutes as replacement prop Francois van Wyk burrowed under a pile of bodies to score – just as he did against Harlequins a week earlier. Russell’s conversion was wide to deny him a perfect record.
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