Sharks’ bullies showing teeth
ALEX SANDERSON reckons his Sale side got the win they deserved as they bullied Bath despite being a man short. The Sharks sit on top of the Premiership after two rounds despite having prop Nick Schonert sent off for a high shot on lock Dave Attwood after just nine minutes.
They even went down to 13 men for 10 minutes in the second half when Ross Harrison was sin-binned.
Bath hammered at the line but couldn’t score before substitute flanker Jono Ross secured the bonus point with Sale’s fourth try.
Sanderson said: “They managed it very well physically, played in the right areas and came alive in attack.
“It is another performance worthy of all the work they have done in pre-season. That is what I am chuffed about.”
Schonert’s red came after the game launched another clampdown on high tackles but
Sanderson will review the incident.
He added: “We are in the business of looking after people’s heads at the moment.
“If there are mitigating factors maybe we will get him off a ban but as a tackler you have to adjust your body height. They are the laws and we have to apply ourselves to them.”
Bath, bottom last year, looked lightweight up front and head of rugby Johann van Graan said: “We lost the physical battle hands down.
“I am very disappointed. It is not the performance I was looking for.accuracy was not good enough but that happens when you get beaten in the collisions.”
Wing Tom O’flaherty, who looks a brilliant signing from Exeter, kicked off the scoring and hooker Acker van der
Merwe bounced off four defenders to make it 17-6 on 26 minutes.
Bath lost skipper Ben Spencer to a head injury and trailed 23-6 at the break before Joe Cokanasiga got one back.
Sale threw Tom Curry on and the England flanker scored with his first touch.
Tom de Glanville nabbed a consolation score for Bath but they were never at the races.
Max Malins scored two tries for Saracens in their 30-27 victory at Harlequins as did Leicester’s Nemani Nadolo in a 36-21 win over Newcastle.
There was a first win for Northampton, 38-22 against London Irish, while Callum Sheedy scored 18 of Bristol’s points in the 23-8 success at Wasps.
Meanwhile, Rob Baxter has told his Exeter team not be sidetracked by the crisis surrounding today’s opponents Worcester. Baxter said: “We have to make sure we don’t get overwhelmed by all of that.we have to stay focused.”