FAF FLUFFS A LATE CHANCE
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SALE boss Alex
Sanderson refused to blame Faf de Klerk as the scrum-half’s fluffed kick at the death saw Sharks miss out on a crucial win.
The South African World Cup winner took over the kicking duties from fly-half Rob du
Preez, who suffered a dead leg, and missed two conversions before his injury-time howler.
De Klerk’s effort just shaved the post – and Bath were able to escape with a draw having thrown away their 21-7 lead at the interval.
However Sanderson said: “You can go back to the kick – but it is the thousands of incidences before that and it shouldn’t have come down to the kick.
“Faf had missed two before that and I would have backed him again.
“He is definitely a better kicker than he showed there but you win some, you lose some.
“The draw was probably fair given how we performed in the first half. There was a general malaise and a lack of urgency.
“I am really proud of the second half, it was good to come and get three points but there are two gone begging.”
Once Bath had got over the early sin-binning of No.8 Nathan Hughes, and conceding a score to Luke James, they motored to the break to lead by 14 points.
And coach Neal Hatley insisted: “Three months ago we would have lost that game.”
This was supposed to be the latest edition of the Manu Tuilagi comeback show, but his return from a hamstring injury has been put back another week.
And Bath threw the kitchen sink at Sale as Sam Underhill scored twice and Tom de Glanville added a third.
But the tables were turned in the second 40.
Lock Jean-Luc du Preez and centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg made the most of the power surge.
And when hooker Ewan Ashman scored it was 24-21.
Danny Cipriani levelled it up, then came De Klerk’s big moment and he blew it.