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Alfie Barbeary celebrates after scoring the match-winning try for Bath - David Rogers/Getty Images
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Bath’s heavyweight bench came to the rescue as they narrowed the gap on Prem leaders Northampton Saints to just a point with a comeback win over Sale Sharks at the CorpAcq Stadium.
The champions’ rotated team trailed 19-7 at the interval but the cavalry changed the course of the contest and with England A hooker Kepueli Tuipulotu hugely influential they turned up the power to score four second-half tries.
The match-winning score came from another of the bench men – No 8 Alfie Barbeary – with nine minutes left.
Sale engineered a great position to steal the win late on but George Ford, playing his first game since February 21 after being dropped by England following the Six Nations defeat to Ireland, lost control of the ball and the chance slipped away.
It was Sharks’ ninth defeat of a disappointing league campaign.
More to follow...
Match details
Scoring sequence: 0-5 Frost try, 0-7 Carreras con, 5-7 O’Flaherty try, 7-7 Ford con, 12-7 du Preez try, 14-7 Ford con, 19-7 Cowan-Dickie try, 19-12 Hennessey try, 19-14 Carreras con, 19-19 Staddon try, 24-19 Roebuck try, 26-19 Ford con, 26-24, Tuipulotu try, 26-26 Carreras con, 26-31 Barbeary try.
Sale Sharks: J Carpenter; T Roebuck, R du Preez (M Louw 48), R Ma’asi-White, T O’Flaherty; G Ford, R Quirke (G Warr 60); B Rodd (R McEachran 60), L Cowan-Dickie (E Caine 60), J Harper (T Raymont 60), E van Rhyn, B Bamber, S Dugdale (D du Preez 57), N Jibulu (J Gilmore 72), J Vermeulen.
Bath: T de Glanville; J Cokanasiga, L Hennessey, C Redpath, W Muir; S Carreras, T Carr-Smith (B van der Linde 60); S Kirk (B Obano 35), D Frost (K Tuipulotu 41), V Sela (T du Toit 35), W Jeanes (E Richards 53), R Molony (C Ewels 54-72), T Hill, E Staddon, M Reid (A Barbeary 60).
Referee: L Pearce.
05:18pm
Thanks for joining us
That brings our coverage of Bath’s victory over Sale Sharks to an end. Thank you for joining us!
05:16pm
Up next
Bath are back in action on Saturday, hosting Saracens in the Champions Cup round of 16, while Sale make the trip to Harlequins in the same competition.
05:13pm
‘Loads of rugby to be played’ - Van Graan plays down talks of semi-finals
Van Graan on Bath’s position in the Prem: “It’s not a time for us to speak about semi-finals, there’s still six rounds to go, 30 points.
“We have put ourselves in a really good position, at least you’re in the mix come the back end of May. But loads of rugby to be played.”
05:09pm
‘Massive five points for Bath’, says Van Graan
Bath director of rugby Johann van Graan to TNT Sports: “First 25 was actually pretty clinical, I think we should have scored more but we knew the wind would have a big effect.
“The yellow card period, we almost came through it, but I thought half-time was really calm.
“From the squad point of view, that second half was really good, once we got in front, really good [defence] on our line, sometimes it comes down to small margins, big moments.”
On the impact of the replacements: “We needed to change the picture, I felt we did that really well. Our impact players are phenomenal.
“It’s a 23-man effort and that’s the beauty of this squad. We made 12 changes and everybody just fits in. This is a massive five points for us.”
On keeping everyone happy: “I think it’s something we’ve done really well, with crystal clear communication. Everyone knows where they stand and that they will get game-time.”
05:03pm
Staddon ‘chuffed’ with win after being handed ‘opportunity’
Bath’s Ethan Staddon to TNT Sports on being awarded player of the match : “Pretty surreal, not many words, my jaw is a bit numb!
“It felt like we had to work hard, it’s good to rotate the squad, give some of the younger guys like myself the opportunity to show what we can do. Absolutely chuffed we came away with the win.”
On trailing at half-time, he said: “At half-time it was play the conditions, second half we had the wind, be more direct, pin them in the corner and force their errors.”
On being part of the Bath set-up, he said: “Every Monday we start at zero, there’s a real mindset shift that we attack the next week.
“The emphasis on the purples - the non-matchday 23 squad - the time and effort and appreciation that goes into those boys, me most of the time, is what makes that difference and competitiveness, and when we do get that shot we are buzzing to get going.”
04:56pm
Bath close gap on Saints
Bath’s victory takes them to within one point of Northampton Saints at the top of the table and five points clear of Leicester Tigers in third.
Sale stay in seventh and, despite claim a pair of losing bonus-points, remain a long way off Saracens, 11 points adrift of the London side in sixth.
04:51pm
Full time: Sale Sharks 26 Bath 31
Sale mount one final attack but it goes forward from the home side and Bath can find touch as the clock ticks into the red.
04:49pm
80 mins: Sale Sharks 26 Bath 31
Raymont does superbly to dart through the Bath defence and take his team five metres short.
Sale are quickly within a metre of the line but the ball is spilt by Ford as they work it inside and Bath will have the scrum.
A huge moment!
04:47pm
78 mins: Sale Sharks 26 Bath 31
Sale spill it but Bath are penalised for an offside, with Barbeary at fault, and Ford kicks for touch down the home team’s right, just over 10 metres out from the line.
04:46pm
77 mins: Sale Sharks 26 Bath 31
Bath have a scrum just in front of their 22 and Raymont is penalised at the set-piece, allowing the visitors to kick for touch and move up to halfway.
But Sale quickly force the turnover at the breakdown and they can find touch down their left, setting up a late chance to at least restore parity.
04:42pm
TRY! Barbeary surges over after sustained Bath pressure
Sale Sharks 26 Bath 31 (Barbeary) Bath build really nicely and after several phases find themselves just five metres short of the line, with Barbeary carrying well for the visitors.
They target the left corner but come up just short as they reach 20 phases for the attack.
Eventually, it’s Barbeary who makes the decisive dart for the line after a clever dummy, and he does superbly to ground the ball.
The conversion is dragged wide by Carreras, though, so the advantage remains at five points for the visitors.
04:37pm
68 mins: Sale Sharks 26 Bath 26
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Kepueli Tuipulotu has made a huge impact since coming off the Bath bench.
A brilliant piece of play from the explosive England A hooker sets up the try of the day for Bernard van der Linde.
Everyone in the Prem already knows about his carrying power but that was a lovely chip through.
What a prospect the 20-year-old is.
04:36pm
66 mins: Sale Sharks 26 Bath 26
Barbeary makes a wonderful interception on halfway but he is quickly caught up by three or four Sale players. In the words of Austin Healey on TNT Sports, the Bath man looked like a “Care Bear with too much caffeine”.
04:33pm
TRY! Van der Linde finishes wonderful Bath try
Sale Sharks 26 Bath 26 (Van der Linde) What a wonderful try from Bath, striking from their own 22!
The visitors make the steal at the line-out and Tuipulotu is able to drive powerfully down their left flank before nudging the ball into the Sale half with the outside of his boot.
The ball bounces up nicely for Van der Linde, who steps wonderfully inside his man, before bursting for the line.
The conversion is there from Carreras and the scores are level once more.
04:30pm
TRY! Roebuck sneaks in to restore Sale’s lead
Sale Sharks 26 Bath 19 (Roebuck) Sale, in the 15th phase of their attack, do not need the penalty advantage!
With the hosts pushing for the line down their right, Roebuck makes the run down the flank from deep and the pass to the winger is perfectly-timed, allowing him to cross in the corner with ease.
Ford’s conversion bends through the posts and Sale have a seven-point lead!
04:26pm
59 mins: Sale Sharks 19 Bath 19
Sale have a rare foray into the Bath half and it brings about a scrum for the hosts, just outside the Bath 22.
Some swift passing from Sale nearly releases Maasi-White down their right but he is denied by a brilliant tackle.
Sale keep the pressure on, though, and are quickly within 10 metres of the line, with an advantage.
04:22pm
56 mins: Sale Sharks 19 Bath 19
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Sale are not impressed with Luke Pearce after Ethan Staddon crosses to level the scores.
The referee allows Santi Carreras to take a tap penalty quickly behind his back, allowing the back row to go over.
Other refs might have wanted to be in fuller control of the situation before he allowed Bath to go.
Still, kudos to Carreras for his sharp thinking and it’s game on now.
04:21pm
55 mins: Sale Sharks 19 Bath 19
It’s been a really fast start to the half from Bath, capitalising on the conditions. What kind of response have Sale got?
04:19pm
TRY! Staddon crosses after Carreras catches Sale out
Sale Sharks 19 Bath 19 (Staddon) That is really quick-thinking from Carreras but poor from the hosts.
Bath had the advantage as Moloney was tackled into touch in the previous attack and while Sale were getting set, Carreras played the tap-and-go before finding Staddon, who had a free passage to the line.
The conversion is well wide, though, so the scores remain level.
04:16pm
50 mins: Sale Sharks 19 Bath 14
There is a knock-on from Jibulu and Bath will have the scrum, just inside the Sale half.
It’s worked out to Cokanasiga, who tramples over Quirke down Bath’s right flank, before the visitors shift the ball back inside and make good progress towards the Sale 22.
Hennessey gathers a crossfield kick right in the corner and he pulls off the offload to Moloney, but the forward is tackled into touch.
04:12pm
TRY! Hennessey crosses in corner as Bath reduce deficit
Sale Sharks 19 Bath 14 (Hennessey) Tuipulotu taps and goes, and Bath are once again pushing for the line, just a couple of metres short.
With Sale holding strong, the visitors move it out to the left flank with some slick passing and Hennessey crosses in the corner.
Carreras’ conversion sneaks in and Bath’s deficit is reduced to five points.
04:09pm
44 mins: Sale Sharks 19 Bath 7
Harper is penalised at the scrum and Carreras kicks for touch down Bath’s right, just outside the Sale 22.
Bath make good progress into the 22 following the line-out and are quickly within five metres of the line, just in front of the posts.
After several phases, they earn the advantage, and play is quickly brought back for the offside.
04:07pm
41 mins: Sale Sharks 19 Bath 7
There is an early knock-on from Bath on halfway, giving Sale a scrum to start this second half.
De Glanville’s hair gives a good indication of the wind direction, most certainly coming from behind the full-back.
04:05pm
41 mins: Sale Sharks 19 Bath 7
We are back underway in Greater Manchester, with the visitors kicking things off, going from right to left in this second period and - importantly - with the wind on their side.
04:02pm
Watch: O’Flaherty draws Sale level
03:54pm
Dramatic turnaround from Sale
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Johann van Graan took the shepherd’s crook to the Bath front row five minutes before half-time.
Billy Sela and Scott Kirk are off and Thomas du Toit and Ben Obano are on with Bath’s scrum in retreat and Sale suddenly in the ascendancy.
Joe Cokanasiga’s sin-binning has triggered a dramatic turnaround at the CorpAcq Stadium.
Three tries in the space of 13 minutes with Bath shorthanded has seen Sale surge into a 19-7 lead.
Much more life in the ground now.
03:51pm
Half-time: Sale Sharks 19 Bath 7
The try from Cowan Dickie is the final action of note of what turned out to be an excellent first half from Sale.
03:50pm
TRY! Cowan-Dickie crosses following powerful Sale maul
Sale Sharks 19 Bath 7 (Cowan Dickie) Sale kick for the corner down their left following the offside from Frost.
The hosts maul really strongly following the line-out and power over the line for their third try of the afternoon, with Cowan Dickie the player to make the grounding.
Ford misses the conversion on this occasion but his side will take a healthy lead into the second half.
03:47pm
38 mins: Sale Sharks 14 Bath 7
Sale pick and go a few times following the line-out to get within a few metres of the line before Bath are penalised for an offside and given a warning over the number of fouls they are committing.
Sale tap and go before shifting the ball out to their right flank and back to their left. There is a knock-on from the hosts but play is brought back for an offside from Frost and he is the second Bath player to see yellow.
03:44pm
36 mins: Sale Sharks 14 Bath 7
There are a couple of changes in the forward pack for Bath, with Kirk and Sela making way.
Sale have a scrum inside their own half, over on their right, and they work the ball really swiftly out to Reed on the left flank but his offload back inside is intercepted.
Sale quickly pinch it back and nudge the ball into Bath’s 22, and Muir can only hack the ball straight into touch.
03:40pm
TRY! Du Preez surges over line to give Sale the lead
Sale Sharks 14 Bath 7 (Du Preez) Carreras makes a mistake with his kick, sending it straight into touch, and it will be another scrum for Sale in a really promising position, right in front of the posts.
They earn the advantage straight away but may not need it, with Du Preez showing great power to charge over the line. It looks like the centre is held up and the onfield decision is no try but the TMO intervenes...
There is one replay which shows that there was in fact a grounding so it is a try for the hosts! Ford makes the conversion once again and Sale have really made the extra man count.
03:32pm
TRY! Sale instantly capitlaise on man advantage as O’Flaherty crosses in corner
Sale Sharks 7 Bath 7 (O’Flaherty) Sale quickly earn the advantage following the scrum but will be hoping for more from this position.
They work the ball from left to right, before switching it back out to the left and they make the extra man count, with O’Flaherty given acres on the flank to cross in the corner.
Ford makes the conversion from out wide and the scores are level.
03:30pm
27 mins: Sale Sharks 0 Bath 7
Bath are penalised at the scrum and Ford can kick for touch down Sale’s right, into the Bath 22.
The hosts maul well following the line-out before spraying the ball out to their left. Cokansiga does well to get across but he then makes a deliberate knock-on and sees yellow.
Sale did have men over but there is no penalty-try. It will just be a scrum for the hosts.
03:27pm
25 mins: Sale Sharks 0 Bath 7
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Sale have a back row shortage with both Curry twins amongst those injured so hooker Nathan Jibulu is filling in at No 7 today.
He is a hard-hitting tackler as he has shown already but he has a lot on his plate.
Bath dominating the territory in the first half, squeezing Sale and good value for their 7-0 lead through Dan Frost’s try.
If they had been able to hold on to the ball better they could have been further clear.
Atmosphere pretty subdued at the moment.
03:25pm
24 mins: Sale Sharks 0 Bath 7
There is a knock-on from Reid as he makes a tackle and there will be a scrum for Sale, inside their opponents’ half.
What kind of response have they got to going behind?
03:21pm
TRY! Frost crosses as Bath finally make pressure count
Sale Sharks 0 Bath 7 (Frost) Frost chases the kick really well and forces the foul at the breakdown inside Sale’s 22, and Bath kick for the corner down their right.
The visitors are powerful at the maul following the line-out before they work the ball inside and eventually it’s Frost who spins on the line and crosses.
The conversion is a comfortable one and Bath have a deserved 7-0 lead.
03:18pm
17 mins: Sale Sharks 0 Bath 0
Cokanasiga pulls off a wonderful on Bath’s right take after a crossfield kick holds up in the wind. He offloads it to De Glanville, whose grubber-kick is superbly weighted.
Roebuck has no choice but to dive on it as it crosses the line and the visitors will have the scrum in a promising position.
Bath drive over the line with real power following the set-piece but they are held up excellently by Sale, with Ford making a crucial intervention.
03:15pm
15 mins: Sale Sharks 0 Bath 0
Bath look to maul for the line following the line-out but Sale defend it well and eventually the visitors are penalised for a forward pass.
Sale are awarded a free-kick at the scrum and Ford produces another huge kick with the help of the wind.
03:14pm
13 mins: Sale Sharks 0 Bath 0
Redpath does really well to drive his team towards the Sale 22 before the hosts give away yet another penalty, with Jibulu not rolling away.
Sale have given away four penalties already, three of those by Jibulu, and the forward is given a warning by the referee.
03:12pm
12 mins: Sale Sharks 0 Bath 0
Roebuck is penalised for an offside as Bath come forward and the visitors are able to kick into touch down their left, well into the Sale 22.
But the ball is stolen at the breakdown shortly after the line-out and Ford gets good distance on his clearance.
03:10pm
10 mins: Sale Sharks 0 Bath 0
The Sale attack following the line-out is laboured and the hosts are penalised at the breakdown before they can make any progress into the 22.
Down the other end, Carr-Smith’s grubber-kick is a promising one, but Ford does well to sweep it up and buy a couple of seconds, allowing his teammates to come and support him at the breakdown.
03:07pm
7 mins: Sale Sharks 0 Bath 0
As Bath drive into the Sale 22 following the line-out, Hill is on the end of a heavy tackle and it forces the forward to spill the ball, giving up possession.
There is a late tackle on Ford moments later and the fly-half uses the wind really effectively with the penalty to find touch in Bath’s 22.
03:06pm
5 mins: Sale Sharks 0 Bath 0
Harper is penalised at the scrum for using his head and not setting properly. The subsequent Baths kick really holds up in the wind but the visitors can gather and quickly earn a penalty at the breakdown.
They find touch down their left and will have the line-out just inside the Sale 22.
03:03pm
3 mins: Sale Sharks 0 Bath 0
Ford went for the low kick along the ground with his kick-off, an indication that the players are already thinking of how they can use the conditions to their benefit.
A box-kick from Bath holds up in the wind and it brings about the knock-on from Sale, so it will be a scrum for the visitors on halfway.
03:01pm
1 min: Sale Sharks 0 Bath 0
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Testing conditions at the CorpAcq Stadium with heavy rain before kick-off in the north-west turning the pitch into a skidpan.
It has eased off now but it is the sort of day that demands a pack of forwards on the front foot and control at half-back. An interesting test then for Santi Carreras, given a rare start at No 10 for Bath with Finn Russell given the weekend off.
How will he measure up against a master game controller in the returning George Ford?
That head to head may go a long way to deciding the outcome.
03:00pm
1 min: Sale Sharks 0 Bath 0
We are underway at the CorpAcq Stadium, with Sale and Ford kicking things off, going from right to left in this opening period.
02:59pm
Players ready to go
Here we go then, the players are emerging from the tunnel, with Bath out on the pitch first, and we will be getting underway in just a matter of moments.
02:56pm
Kick-off approaching
We are now less than five minutes away from kick-off at a wet and windy CorpAcq Stadium, with the players just going through their final preparations in the dressing rooms.
02:51pm
No pre-match drama today...
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No sign of any sparks flying on the pitch between TNT Sports and the coaches before kick-off at the CorpAcq Stadium.
Yesterday’s temper tantrum from Geoff Parling at a goalkicking stunt from the broadcasters as Leicester performed their warm-up drills featured some blue language and a shove for anchor Craig Doyle.
The Leicester head coach, who had claimed his players could have been in danger from a stray kick, issued an apology earlier today for his outburst.
Alex Sanderson and Johann van Graan, who have just given each other a pre-match thumbs-up on the pitch, look a good deal more chilled.
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Geoff Parling argues with Craig Doyle on the pitch
02:48pm
Adapting to conditions will be key, says Van Graan
On building on the thrashing of Saracens last week, Bath boss Johann van Graan has told TNT Sports: “We’ve put it behind us quickly, totally different team, opposition and conditions.
“We’ve had a full training week but couldn’t mimic the conditions, its about how we adapt today.”
It’s a wet and windy one in Greater Manchester this afternoon!
02:44pm
Meetings so far this season
Bath were 28-16 winners when the two teams met at the Rec in the Prem in October, while Van Graan’s men enjoyed a 60-19 thrashing in their Prem Rugby Cup clash last month, which took place in Sale.
02:42pm
Sale ‘all aligned’ after ‘honest conversations’, says Roebuck
Making his return for Sale following the break for the Six Nations, Tom Roebuck has told TNT Sports: “I’m looking forward to getting back into it.”
On Sale’s position in the league, he said: “We can’t deny its not been the season we wanted it to be, but there’s excitement about putting it right. There’s been some honest conversations, we’re all aligned now.”
On Bath, he said: “They’re a very good team so we’ve got to be at our best. We’ve spoken about coming out fast in that first 20 and then carrying it on.”
02:37pm
Sanderson calls for fast start
Looking to ahead to the visit of Bath, Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson said this week: “Bath were really clinical and really sharp last week.
“They’re number one in the Prem at scoring from transition, so we’ve got to limit or at least control how we turn the ball over to them.
“But that’s just one area. We know we have to be on it in every area of the game against Bath.
“We didn’t start the game against Exeter well enough and we can’t afford to do that again this weekend against the champions.”
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Alex Sanderson, the Sale Sharks director of rugby - David Rogers/Getty Images
02:33pm
As things stand
Bath have the opportunity to close the gap to leaders Northampton to just one point this afternoon, while Sale will be looking to create a bit of breathing room above Gloucester in eighth.
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02:30pm
This weekend’s results
Friday
- Newcastle Red Bulls 14 Exeter Chiefs 38
Saturday
- Gloucester 17 Leicester Tigers 36
- Bristol 14 Harlequins 18
- Saracens 17 Northampton Saints 21
02:26pm
Those teams in full
Sale Sharks: Carpenter; Roebuck, R. du Preez, Ma’asi-White, Reed; Ford, Quirke; Rodd, Cowan-Dickie, Harper, van Rhyn (c), Bamber, Dugdale, Jibulu, Vermeulen.
Replacements: Caine, McEachran, Raymont, D du Preez, Gilmore, Warr, Louw, O’Flaherty.
Bath: De Glanville; Cokanasiga, Hennessey, Redpath, Muir; Carrerras, Carr-Smith; Kirk, Frost, Sela, Jeanes, Molony, Hill, Staddon, Reid (c).
Replacements: Tuipulotu, Obano, du Toit, Ewels, Richards, van der Linde, Harris, Barbeary.
02:22pm
Bath team news - Russell absent as Van Graan makes 12 changes
Johann van Graan has made wholesale changes to his Bath side following their 62-15 win over Saracens, with only three players keeping their place.
Santi Carreras comes in at number 10 in place of Finn Russell, who has not travelled for the game, while Miles Reid captains the side.
02:17pm
Sale team news - Ford among England internationals to return
Alex Sanderson restores George Ford to his starting line-up following the conclusion of the Six Nations, while fellow England internationals Bevan Rodd, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Tom Roebuck also return to the team.
Elsewhere, Nathan Jibulu starts at openside flanker while Rod du Preez returns at centre after filling in at fly-half.
02:10pm
Bath look to close gap on leaders Northampton in trip to Sale
Good afternoon and welcome to live coverage of Sale Sharks vs Bath from the Gallagher Prem, with the visitors looking to close the gap on Northampton Saints at the top of the table.
Northampton left it late at Saracens on Saturday, but Archie McParland’s 78th-minute try clinched their sixth straight win in the competition and extended their lead over Bath at the summit to six points.
Johann van Graan’s side are also enjoying a good run of form, though, winning their last three matches in the league, with a 62-15 thumping of Saracens last time out on their return from the winter break, in which they reached the Prem Rugby Cup final before being beaten by Leicester Tigers.
And the defending champions will be confident of reducing their deficit to the top of the table this afternoon as they make the trip to Sale, who sit seventh in the league, 13 points adrift of Saracens in sixth.
Alex Sanderson’s side have won just three Prem games this season, and following their defeat away at Exeter Chiefs last weekend, they have just one win in their eight games in all competitions since the turn of the year.
Bath were 28-16 winners when they met in the Prem in October, while they enjoyed a 60-19 thrashing in their Prem Rugby Cup clash last month, which took place in Sale.
However, today’s hosts will benefit from the return of four England internationals to their starting line-up, including fly-half George Ford.
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