Bath snap losing run as Sale misery continues

Bath returned to winning ways with a comfortable 38-26 bonus-point victory against Sale at the Rec.

After a number of disappointing outings, the hosts showed much-improved form with some inventive play creating a number of tries with their first triumph in three games.

Joe Cokanasiga scored two of them, Henry Arundell, Tom de Glanville and Louie Hennessey the others, with Finn Russell converting four and adding a penalty.

Nathan Jibulu, Tom O’Flaherty, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Elia Canakaivata scored Sale’s tries, all of which George Ford converted.

Bath made a quick start to open the scoring with a third-minute try. From a maul near halfway, they skilfully created the space for Arundell to explode through a gap before the wing easily outpaced the cover defence.

Sale responded with a try from Jibulu as the hooker finished off a line-out drive, but the home side should have regained the lead when Russell missed a straightforward penalty after Ben Curry was penalised for not releasing.

It mattered little as the hosts soon scored a second try when De Glanville ran a neat angle to bemuse the visitors’ defence after taking a pass from Ben Spencer.

Bath increased their lead with the best try of the afternoon. It began when the lively Arundell performed heroics to secure possession from Spencer’s clearance and when the ball was immediately moved wide, De Glanville impressively drew in two defenders to give Cokanasiga a clear run to the line.

Sale blew a chance to chance to reduce the arrears when Gus Warr intercepted a pass from De Glanville to kick ahead but when the ball was recycled, Jibulu inexplicably turned inside to be swallowed up and the opportunity was lost as they trailed 19-7 at the interval.

Two minutes after the restart, the home side collected their bonus-point try when a pin-point cross-field kick from Russell was collected by Cokanasiga, who provided a strong finish for his second score.

Sharks’ wing O’Flaherty could possibly have done better defensively to prevent the try, but moments later he made amends as he accepted Ford’s pass to score.

Russell kicked a penalty before Bath sealed victory when two replacements combined for their fifth try. A kick through from Bernard van der Linde saw Hennessey win the race to touchdown.

Spirited Sale finished strongly, earning a losing bonus-point with late tries from Cowan-Dickie and Canakaivata.