The reservoir of talent at Bath runs deep these days. The champions rested a raft of key players but still had too much class for a Sale side whose season continues to unravel at a rate of knots.
An entertaining game played in difficult, windswept conditions could have gone either way, but Johann van Graan’s side conjured up two tries in the final quarter to clinch a bonus-point win.
First their precocious 20‑year‑old hooker, Kepu Tuipulotu, broke on the left touchline before sending a delightful kick downfield for his fellow replacement Bernard van der Linde to gather and score.
It was a telling reminder of Tuipulotu’s awesome potential on a day when Finn Russell and Ben Spencer were given the afternoon off.
That 62nd-minute try was converted to level the scores at 26-26 before another replacement, Alfie Barbeary, went over to clinch victory with nine minutes remaining and put his side only a point behind the leaders, Northampton.
Van Graan paid a rich tribute to Tuipulotu, who has already represented England at A‑team level and looks destined for a future at the highest level. “Kepu’s one of the most explosive players I’ve coached and has huge potential,” the Bath head of rugby said. “To have the speed of thought to put the ball in behind, it was a massive moment in the game.
“That’s what you want from your players – a point of difference – and his explosiveness is certainly that. He’s still a young man, but he works on his game so much.”
Bath have bigger fish to fry than a Sharks team who slipped to their ninth defeat from 12 Prem outings this season, with a Champions Cup last‑16 home tie against Saracens looming on Saturday.
Asked about Bath’s remarkable squad depth as they prepare for the rematch with a Sarries side they thumped 62-15 in the Prem this month, Van Graan said: “We could potentially pick 40 guys but unfortunately the regulations state you can only pick 23. We’ll choose our best 23 and it’ll be one massive game.”
Sale were missing the Curry twins and Asher Opoku-Fordjour through injury but four other England internationals – Tom Roebuck, George Ford, Bevan Rodd and Luke Cowan‑Dickie – returned to the starting lineup after their recent involvement in the Six Nations.
Defeat was another bitter pill to swallow for a team who have made the playoffs in each of the past three seasons, and the trip to Harlequins in the Champions Cup last 16 on Saturday has taken on added importance.
Sale’s hopes of making the top four were in effect over even before this game and the sight of Ford, their trusted general, dropping the ball close to Bath’s line late on summed up their season.
Their director of rugby, Alex Sanderson, said: “I’m crestfallen. I’m just gutted for the amount of effort that the lads put in. For the amount of endeavour that went into it to not come away with a result which I believe we were good for, certainly at half-time, is frustrating but it’s seemingly a similar story to how the rest of the season has gone.”
Sale fought back well after falling behind to an 18th‑minute try from the hooker Dan Frost, who dived over from close range. Bath then had the wing Joe Cokanasiga sent to the sin‑bin in the 26th minute for a deliberate knock-on and Sale soon capitalised when Rob du Preez’s exquisite long pass sent Tom O’Flaherty over in the left corner.
Sale scored again when Du Preez squeezed over from close range for a try awarded after a review by the television match official, Peter Allan, before Bath lost Frost to a yellow card for persistent team infringements.
Sale soon punished Bath again, with Cowan‑Dickie forcing his way over for his 44th Prem career try and, although Ford failed to convert, the hosts went in at half-time 19-7 ahead.
Five minutes after the interval, and with Frost still in the sin-bin, Bath scored their second try when Louie Hennessey went over from a lineout and Santi Carreras converted.
Ethan Staddon had Bath’s third try when he went over from close range in the 50th minute after good work from Hennessey in the right corner. Carreras missed the conversion to leave the scores finely poised at 19-19 but, as the hour approached, Roebuck took Raffi Quirke’s pass to cross in the right corner and Ford converted.
Bath drew level shortly after the hour when Tuipulotu showed remarkable confidence, poise and skill to produce a huge play which invited Van der Linde to saunter clear to score for a try which Carreras converted to level at 26-26.
Barbeary then scored a try that capped a period of pressure covering well over 20 phases, securing an entertaining win for a Bath side with lofty aspirations in the coming days and weeks.
