Sale Sharks player ratings vs Bath | 2026/27 Gallagher PREM

Sale Sharks player ratings: Sale left The Rec with a losing bonus point but were ultimately made to pay for a damaging first hour as Bath claimed a 36-28 Gallagher PREM victory.

The Sharks produced plenty of individual threat, particularly through Christ Tshiunza and Tom Curry, and their scrum caused Bath sustained problems. But their defence was opened far too easily on several occasions, while handling errors and turnovers repeatedly undermined promising attacking positions. Late tries from Luke Cowan-Dickie and Elia Canakaivata gave the scoreline a more respectable appearance and ensured Sale did not leave empty-handed.

15 Joe Carpenter – 5
Had a difficult opening quarter, spilling O’Flaherty’s wide pass after the wing had carved Bath open from deep and leaving a promising opportunity behind. Redeemed himself somewhat with an important breakdown penalty after de Glanville’s break before half-time, but four turnovers lost proved costly.

14 Tom Roebuck – 6
Did not have many headline moments but still found ways to threaten, producing two line breaks from seven carries. Completed four tackles and missed one in a game where Sale’s back three were repeatedly stretched by Bath’s kicking and width.

13 Joe Marchant – 6
Produced several positive carries, beating three defenders from six attempts, and completed all six of his tackles. Did not receive enough high-quality ball to truly impose himself in attack, but was one of Sale’s cleaner midfield performers.

12 Alex Lozowski – 4
A difficult afternoon defensively. Missed three tackles and was unable to sufficiently close the spaces Bath repeatedly found through midfield. Carried only three times and made four tackles before Ma’asi-White replaced him after 58 minutes.

11 Tom O’Flaherty – 7
A performance of extremes. His decision to shoot out of the defensive line left the enormous gap that Arundell exploited for Bath’s opening try, but he responded with an excellent break from deep before Carpenter’s knock-on ruined the opportunity. Later finished well from Ford’s sharp miss-pass and ended with two line breaks and four defenders beaten.

10 George Ford – 6
One of Sale’s steadier performers. His quick miss-pass at the line created O’Flaherty’s score and he was flawless from the tee, converting all four tries. Also produced a line break himself and completed seven tackles, offering considerably more control than the occasionally chaotic rugby around him.

9 Gus Warr – 7
A lively performance despite Sale’s difficulty maintaining momentum. Registered three line breaks from seven carries and won two turnovers, matching Tom Dunn for the second-highest total of the match. Added five tackles and generally looked dangerous whenever Sale managed to generate quick ball.

1 Nicky Smith – 7
Enjoyed some significant success at scrum time. Appeared to get the better of Bath shortly before half-time despite the penalty inexplicably going the other way, then combined with Francis to win another penalty after the interval. Was later penalised for collapsing opposite Stuart, but largely had the better of his individual battle.

2 Nathan Jibulu – 6
Marked his start with Sale’s opening try, controlling the ball well at the back of the maul to get over after 13 minutes. Beat three defenders from five carries and made nine tackles, contributing plenty around the park before Cowan-Dickie replaced him.

3 Asher Opoku-Fordjour – 6
Had some useful moments in the loose, making a classy line break followed by an offload and beating two defenders from five carries, while also completing six tackles. Sale’s scrum generally competed strongly during his spell, although two missed tackles reduced his overall impact.

4 Ernst van Rhyn – 6
One of Sale’s most reliable defenders. Completed 11 tackles and registered three dominant hits, the most by any player in the match, helping bring some physicality to a defensive performance that too often lacked cohesion elsewhere.

5 Ben Bamber – 6
A hardworking contribution from the second-row. Made nine tackles and managed a line break from his four carries, without becoming one of the main protagonists in either Sale’s best attacking sequences or their defensive problems.

6 Christ Tshiunza – 8
A spectacular but occasionally chaotic performance. Announced himself immediately with a rampaging run from the kick-off and went on to make a match-high four line breaks while beating seven defenders. Also completed a match-high 14 tackles, but five turnovers lost were an enormous number and summed up Sale’s inability to consistently turn threatening moments into points.

7 Ben Curry – 6
A solid if unspectacular outing. Completed 10 tackles and made seven carries, adding a line break and beating one defender. Two missed tackles were part of a Sale defensive performance that struggled whenever Bath found pace and width.

8 Tom Curry – 8
One of Sale’s best. His tap tackle on Arundell after Russell’s early cross-field kick was a superb piece of covering defence and prevented what looked a likely try. Carried nine times, made two line breaks, beat three defenders and completed 12 tackles, although three misses reflected the difficulty Sale had containing Bath.

Replacements – 7
Luke Cowan-Dickie and Elia Canakaivata both crossed in Sale’s late fightback, while Tomas Francis made an immediate impact at scrum time after replacing Opoku-Fordjour.