We start well enough, winning a penalty at a pileup and Charlie slotting a penalty after just 4 minutes. We continue to have the advantage, but can’t make it count, thanks to a series of errors- long kicks which go dead, offences at the ruck. However, when Bath try and get going, a very aggressive defence stops them in their tracks. After about 15 minutes of this stalemate, we have a scrum 35 metres out, Lee Thomas makes a half break and we work the ball to Mark Cueto, who sneaks over in the right corner. Charlie puts the conversion wide, but 8-0 settles us down.

It’s more of the same for the next ten minutes. Two more of our kicks go dead, easing the pressure on Bath, and then the put some pressure on us, missing a penalty kick at goal. But then Brent Cockbain fields a Bath clearance, drives on and we slip the ball to Charlie, who fires off a cross kick for Mark Cueto who almost gets across the try line. We then work the ball quickly left, and Charlie jinks over under the posts. He converts his own try to give us a dominant 15-0 lead after half an hour.

Bath now realise they have to get back into the game and sustained pressure, working the ball through multiple phases but making no ground thanks to strong and well organised defence. The pressure intensifies when Nick McLeod fields a high kick but can’t get away from the chasers, and Bath push again from a scrimmage. They take 8 phases to go forward 5 metres, win another scrum but then knock on and we clear to touch. Bath press forward again. At the end of the half Bath are held just short of the try line and win a penalty, which they kick. 15-3 at half time.

Bath start the second half brightly, winning a penalty in the first couple of minutes. Sale respond, orchestrated by Charlie who tries to dance through the defence, the fires a high kick, then chips over the defence. Bath are under serious pressure now, but just hold at the cost of a penalty which Charlie kicks. It gets messy now, with the rain falling steadily and some refereeing decisions which irritate the crowd. Honours are fairly even and Bath convert another penalty to make it 18-9 on the hour.

Sale then exert sustained pressure with Lobbe running back an attempted clearance, Charlie almost carving an opening, and Wiggy sneaking round the edge of a scrum but being held just short. Bath then try to run the ball out of defence but are caught and the Sale forwards shove the ball carrier into their in-goal area for a scrum 5. This all gets very tetchy but eventually the Sale pack get a shove on and drive over for a try by Lobbe. The conversion attempt bounces back off the post to make the score 23-9 with just over 10 minutes to go.

The Sale defence comes under sustained pressure now as Bath push for a try. There is a series of messy scrums, followed by a series of forward drives, which end with Bruno going in the sin bin. The, at yet another scrum, Bath win a free kick and the unpronounceable blindside flanker crossed for a converted try. With 5 minutes to go, Sale respond and go for the bonus point try. As the clock runs down, they kick a penalty to touch, rather than taking 3 points. Under pressure, Bath lose try-scorer Fa'amatuainu to the sin bin, but they hold out and, with 80 minutes up, Sale try a switch pass with a slippery ball, it’s knocked on and the game’s over.

Summing up- a decent game, which I enjoyed, and hopefully a good warm-up for Leicester next weekend. The defence was excellent, the scrum went much better than in recent weeks and I felt we showed some creativity in the backs. Bath were probably satisfied with their losing bonus point. Sherri was official man of the match, and that was fine by me.

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