| Time |
Score |
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| |
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Two very late changes for Sale Sharks - Braid and Cueto out and Miller and Mills come in. Seems they were injured during the warm-up
|
| 4 |
|
No nonsense start with both sides going hard
|
| 7 |
0 - 3 |
Sale looking to get the first meaningful attack of the game underway, Paul James is penalised and Cipriani slots a routine penalty
|
| 11 |
3 - 3 |
Bath go on the attack, Sale concede a penalty for being offiside. Ford levels the game with a simple kick from in front
|
| 13 |
|
Arscott makes a great catch, juggling it before running straight into the Bath defence - he's held up and Bath get the scrum, great play by their forwards
|
| 15 |
|
It's got slightly scrappy in the last couple of minutes, the early pace easing off
|
| 17 |
|
High tackle by Matt Garvey, the referee plays advantage and calls them back when a chip over comes to nothing. It's referred upstairs but it's nothing more than a routine high one
|
| 18 |
3 - 6 |
Cipriani from about 20 yards out halfway to the left touchline kicks the points
|
| 21 |
|
A little niggle as play goes on after the whistle. Tame stuff, a lot of arms and waving
|
| 22 |
3 - 9 |
Sale win the penalty as Bath's scrum caves under the pressure. Their front row simply could not cope there. The kick from Cipriani from 42m out halfway to the left touchline sails over
|
| 23 |
|
"We've settled down and have dominance at the scrum, all bodes well at the moment," says Steve Diamond
|
| 25 |
|
Strong Bath attack, good Sale defence and it all ends when Anthony Watson fluffs a pass, one eye on the ball and one on the Sale man about to crunch him
|
| 27 |
|
|
| 28 |
|
All getting sloppy, some basic handling errors
|
| 29 |
|
A high tackle from James Gaskell is missed by the referee but spotted by the TJ and play is called back 40m. Again, not a bad one more clumsy, but Bath miss touch with the penalty
|
| 32 |
6 - 9 |
A spell of Bath pressure ends with a penalty from 31m which Ford slots right through the middle
|
| 34 |
|
Another error as a Sale pass misses the wing and flies into touch.
|
| 38 |
|
Sale caught offside, David Seymour coming over the top and preventing quick ball.
|
| 39 |
|
Ford from between the 10m line and halfway pushes the ball to the right of the posts. Had the legs but not the line
|
| 40 |
|
That's half-time, six kicks, five of them successful and a fair amount of poor handling. Bath had the better of the second quarter but to be honest neither line has been threatened
|
| 41 |
|
The second-half starts as sloppily as the first
|
| 42 |
|
Surging run by James Gaskell deep into the Bath 22 ends with him losing possession. That's as close to the try line as anyone's carried it
|
| 43 |
|
Bath win the scrum 5m from their line and Ford clears to touch
|
| 46 |
6 - 12 |
Bath caught off their feet in the ruck and a penalty for Danny Cipriani from 30+m restores Sale's six-point lead and it's four from four for him. The home support all very quiet as that sails over
|
| 49 |
|
The rain starts to fall and fairly heavily. That won't help the handling
|
| 55 |
|
Pressure now telling as Sale start to concede penalties. Bath have upped their game, they just now need points on the board
|
| 56 |
|
Missed penalty for Bath... groans almost as soon as Ford struck the ball and they are right as it sails well wide. A fair way out but the kind he would eat up when on form
|
| 58 |
|
Sale really on the back foot now, pressure and penalties, this one 5m out. The crowd have certainly woken up
|
| 59 |
|
Sloppy lineout and Bath knock-on, the pressure is off for a second or two
|
| 60 |
|
Sale's Dwayne Peel driven right back over his line, nothing he could do, and the pressure is back on now with a 5m scrum
|
| 63 |
|
Bath win a penalty on the 5m line and they call for another scrum. Sale's pack wobbling and Bath are going to put as much pressure as they can on. A penalty try might not be a million miles away
|
| 64 |
|
The shove again pushes Sale back and again there's another penalty to Bath. Last chance saloon, Bath call another scrum and a yellow is looming here if there's another penalty. Sale call the changes in their front row ... fresh legs
|
| 65 |
|
Leroy Houston breaks for the line and is hauled to a stop as he crosses the line. Bath think they have it but it's referred upstairs ... replays are inconclusive, loads of arms and legs in the way, and the TMO says "there's no clear and obvious grounding of the ball". The crowd are unimpressed but it is another 5m scrum so the pressure remains
|
| 66 |
|
Yet another penalty, Henry Thomas falls to his knees. Boos as the crowd think there have been enough penalties for it to be a penalty try. But it's another scrum. If this was at Murrayfield on that pudding the scrum would be about four metres beneath the surface by now ...
|
| 67 |
|
YET another penalty and this time he's had enough and Henry Thomas is shown a yellow. Inevitable. The crowd want the penalty try but the ref could not be certain that was a try-scoring opportunity denied
|
| 68 |
|
No penalty but the scrum has to be re-set as it all went wrong. The scrum has been in the same place for 14 minutes. Yes, that's right, And here we go again. The backs might as well send for chairs and a cup of tea
|
| 69 |
|
AND YET ANOTHER PENALTY in the same place and the crowd are almost apoplectic with rage. But by the letter of the law he';s right. Leroy Houston tried a quick tap but the referee hauled him back
|
| 70 |
|
And finally we have a proper scrum but Bath fumble, Sale kick clear but they knock-on
|
| 71 |
|
And at last it's out and down the line but Anthony Watson is bundled into touch
|
| 72 |
|
Sale fail to clear and Bath come straight back at them. Normal rugby resumes. Bath's attack comes to nothing as their handling lets them down. Bath have 69% possession. Is that all?
|
| 73 |
|
Another Bath penalty, this time for not moving away, Bath decline the kick and put the ball back in the corner. They want the try
|
| 74 |
11 - 12 |
Bath's Ross Batty drives over the line as Sale's defence splinters. It's referred upstairs to the TMO again and again the replays are inconclusive but this time the ref asked if there was "no reason not to award the try". It's half guesswork but somehow the TMO says the try can be awarded. How he came to that conclusion only he knows but the crowd don't care
|
| 75 |
|
Ford misses for the third time in three, shaving the outside edge of the near post. That would have given Bath the lead ... as it is they trail by a point with a little over four minutes left
|
| 77 |
|
The crowd have spent almost as much time booing the decisions as we have spent watching scrums. You just suspect Sale might not hold out. Scrum just inside the Bath half, another penalty, kick into touch and Bath race down the field
|
| 78 |
|
Bath attack and drive Sale back towards their own line ...Ford's drop-goal attempt is charged down by Nick Macleod and Sale have possession
|
| 80 |
|
Bath have the ball right on the Sale line ... Bath set themselves for a drop-goal .. back it comes and Ford ... MISSES ... head in hands time ... 20 metres out and a great position with time. Sale celebrate, a remarkable back against the wall effort
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