At last, Bristol get off the mark by ‘out-enthusing’ Sale
AFTER ten consecutive defeats, a whole-hearted performance from Bristol earned them a first win.
The match lacked intensity and Sale were poor but an improved defensive effort secured the hosts a much needed victory, albeit in the Cup.
Bristol’s acting head coach, Mark Tainton, stressed its importance: “Mentally it’s massive as the longer the losing run went on, the more the pressure was heaped upon us. We have been working hard to get this result but we wanted to play with no fear. Our defence was outstanding, especially in the last 15 minutes when they brought on some big ball carriers.”
In previous games, Bristol had conceded soft tries but Will Hurrell and debutant Jason Woodward shored up their midfield to support a match-winning effort from their pack.
This enabled young halfbacks, Billy Searle and Rhodri Williams, to play on the front foot and while they made occasional errors, they impressed with their enthusiasm.
This was in stark contrast to their opponents, who until the last 20 minutes were lethargic and surrendering the initiative to the home side.
Sale’s lineout malfunctioned; their half-backs lacked control and only skipper Johnny Leota looked intent on taking the game to Bristol.
Against the run of play, a Mugford penalty put Sale ahead but Bristol soon responded when a welljudged kick ahead from Searle was collected by Woodward to score.
Searle then kicked a penalty as Sale missed chances with Mugford failing with two attempts and George Nott losing possession as he dived over.
Bristol won a penalty and, from a driving lineout, were rewarded with a try from Rhodri Williams but they suffered a setback when Rob Hawkins collected a yellow card for his involvement in the melee that followed.
After the restart, Halani Aulika, finished off a forward drive but Bristol emphasised their superiority with a superbly-timed pass from Searle creating a try for Jack Tovey.
Sale brought on some big guns but it was too late as Bristol weren’t to be denied with penalties from Searle and replacement Adrian Jarvis seeing them home.
Sale boss, Steve Diamond said: “They out-enthused us. We missed only two tackles in the first half but they both resulted in tries.”
Three weeks ago, Sale won the league fixture 31-13 at Ashton Gate and Diamond added: “The Premiership is of far greater intensity.”