- 5 weeks ago
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00:00At the Korpak Stadium, with conditions critical, Sale 19, Bath 7.
00:06Yeah, Sale were playing so well, the sun decided to come out.
00:10A change of ends, and therefore Bath, with the wind at their backs,
00:15Austin, you thought it was a 10-point wind? You stick by that?
00:20Yeah, I think so. I think if you can come out and try and get some continuity
00:23and start to win the game line, but equally win those 50-50 contestable kicks,
00:28you can work your way up the field quite quickly,
00:31so your possession numbers really need to be in the 60s, I think,
00:35because every time you give away the ball or a penalty,
00:37you'll find yourself back in your own red zone, and we know how good Bath are there.
00:41Of course, to use the conditions, you have to be accurate with your kicking,
00:45and that is one thing that Santi Carreras has not been today,
00:49on a couple of occasions at least,
00:52so a little more precision might assist their calls,
00:55as Rafi Quirk drives this upfield,
00:59and Tom O'Flaherty came close to getting a handle on that,
01:04but it's gone forwards from Bath anyway.
01:06It's a really good positive outcome for Sale,
01:08but the other thing you can do there, Ali,
01:10is you're in the 22, so you can actually go one more phase,
01:13or two more phases, each a minute, 90 seconds off the clock,
01:16not particularly exciting,
01:17but then kick, kick on your own terms.
01:20They've got the right result there,
01:21but might not always get the knock on.
01:24Bad news for you going off the look.
01:25Good kick, wasn't it, because you've got the trajectory perfect,
01:29so that's a big thing for Bath.
01:30They need to be putting pressure in the first half.
01:34Sale will put good pressure on Tom Carr-Smith,
01:37so he had to go high early,
01:39which meant they didn't get any distance at all.
01:42Coming back to them, they were winning them back,
01:43whereas there, really nice distance originally,
01:46and then it started to drift back towards them.
01:47Sorry, lads.
01:48To a Pilotto onto the field for the scrum,
01:51because, of course, Dan Frost is in the bin
01:52for the next seven and a half minutes.
01:54Let's go, boys!
01:56Bath have taken off their captain for the day, Myles Reid.
02:01So he'll be...
02:03Crutch!
02:04Taking a little bit of time out
02:06while this next passage plays out.
02:08Bynes!
02:11Sats!
02:14Straight to ground.
02:17And a firm blast on the Luke Pierce whistle.
02:19James Harper singled out.
02:22Number three's feet are far too back.
02:24No, he needs to be better than that.
02:26Talk to him.
02:28That's the point that Luke Carr-Dickey was making.
02:34But he was so quick on the engagement.
02:36Just looked like maybe his feet slipped away from under him.
02:40Of course, that's likely to happen when your feet are further back, but...
02:48Yeah, he's already up.
02:50Well, another sight of Tua Pilotto,
02:53who came on the field and scored within a matter of seconds
02:57against Saracen's last Friday night.
02:59Very, very exciting talent and battling with some interesting conditions there.
03:04The wind is strong.
03:05Here he is on the move inside the 22.
03:08No, put your arm backwards.
03:11He had no effect.
03:14Go, Jim.
03:21Off his feet.
03:22Stay there, Jim.
03:29Still doing a really good job to drive up to within 10 meters or so of the tri-line.
03:35Tua Pilotto, who will be used heavily in these close-range collisions.
03:45Dutoy, being driven sideways by Djiboulou.
03:54Abano.
04:05Carl Smith to Dutoy.
04:10Some heavyweight banging going on here on the 5-meter line.
04:15Once more, it's Tua Pilotto.
04:19And the swivel from Carl Smith.
04:22Yellow, yellow, yellow.
04:23Very tightly packed here, Bath.
04:2514 of them you could throw a blanket over.
04:28Flockone Singer is hugging the right-hand touchline,
04:33but still they keep it tight.
04:39Tua Pilotto.
04:40That's a really good shot.
04:42Buckles him backwards.
04:44It's Will Jeans.
04:46And Djiboulou is straight offside.
04:49And so too Karan Dickey.
04:53Both offside.
04:54Marks here.
04:55Desperate to win that race on the pickup.
04:59Back foot, please.
05:02You tap him?
05:04Yeah.
05:04Just make sure you tap the ball, okay?
05:06Goal line.
05:09So it's with Tua Pilotto.
05:15Maloney ready and waiting as well.
05:17Tua Pilotto.
05:20That's good from Bob and Rob.
05:22Getting through.
05:24Fall!
05:26Tad Hill the provider.
05:28Now taken up by Ethan Stadden.
05:33Come on!
05:35Same way, same way, same way!
05:38Hitch by inch.
05:40Oh, another good hit from Rod.
05:41Gene's denied again.
05:42Yeah, that was a terrific shot.
05:44But now potentially a little bit of width and in they go.
05:47Louis Hennessy on his birthday scoring for Bath, their second of the afternoon.
05:54And despite being without Dan Frost, they are right back in the mixer.
05:59Well, all started with a line out where you've got a new hooker on who's not renowned for his throwing.
06:04Look at the wind on that.
06:06You've got to get someone up early so that that's given, not straight.
06:10If you get someone at the front, you stop it at source there.
06:14Unfortunately, that pick and go game, really good.
06:16But look how tight Sale are.
06:19And Bath have spotted that.
06:21They've had a man out on the wing for about three phases as soon as Sale get too tight.
06:28It's got to go out there and Hennessy slides in in the corner.
06:49Every last second eaten up by Santi Carreras, but with good reason.
06:54I think it's really important, Ali, that you don't panic in this situation.
06:57You know exactly where you're trying to get to defensively, blitzing out the line.
07:01But watch if he doesn't blitz out the line, Carpenter, and just slides one.
07:04There's defenders there on the inside.
07:06Always make the side opposite you make an extra pass to get the try.
07:14A reward for Hennessy.
07:16Made his international debut with Wales just three weeks ago off the bench against the Irish.
07:20And here he is again on the ball, this time inside his own 22.
07:25Five points the difference between these two now.
07:29Another couple of minutes for Dan Frost to serve in the bin.
07:35Bath, use it!
07:36One, two, three!
07:38Half my foot! Half my foot!
07:39Half my foot!
07:40Half my foot!
07:40Half my foot!
07:41Half my foot!
07:41Half my foot!
07:41Half my foot!
07:41Carl Smith, Benno Urbano holding down Luke Cowendickey.
07:45He's not remotely happy about that.
07:47Let's go!
07:47Let's go!
07:48What are you doing, though?
07:50Luke, there's ways and means of talking, mate, and that probably isn't it.
07:53I'll make sure he's not pinning you down, all right?
07:54Just Luke bottom left.
07:56Benno, if I see you holding him down, it's a penalty.
07:59A game within a game.
08:00Oops, sorry.
08:04Plus one is nine.
08:07No competition.
08:08Cowendickey finds for Mühlen Quirk.
08:11Maasi White.
08:12Tip on from Marius Lowe.
08:14He's come on, by the way, for Rob Dupriere.
08:17Two knock-ons.
08:19That'll be a bash going for sale.
08:21You can see Djiboulou's so frustrated because that goes through the hands.
08:26Fraction of a second earlier, and I think he's breaking.
08:34It's a really nice manipulation of the defence, but...
08:37Here's your mark.
08:44Remember the mark, please, guys.
08:47Just that second pair of hands.
08:49It's slightly on his right shoulder, isn't it?
08:52Yes, he should be catching it, but again, it goes back to those little basics of skills
08:59where you have to deliver it perfectly.
09:02He should have caught that, but equally, that's a bad pass.
09:07Put too much pressure on someone who's about to carry into contact.
09:10Make it perfect for them.
09:12Well, we spoke about it a lot yesterday, didn't we, at Villa Park with Gloucester's handling
09:16troubles, and a lot of that seemed to be down to the quality of the pass.
09:24Just makes such a very big difference as regards retaining the ball, continuing the momentum.
09:33Car Smith to Carreras.
09:35Car Smith on the loop, and Kockner Singer freed up on the right.
09:39Trampling over the top of Rafi Kwork, who does bring his man down.
09:44Jeans, it's been industrious in the loose.
09:48Carreras again, and Tuopilotto through the hole,
09:51keeps his feet well and gets that offload away.
09:55Red path.
10:01Good option, man.
10:10Hennessy.
10:13Carr-Smith over the top, Staddon lurking out there, once again Quirk called upon to make a big tackle in
10:24that wide channel.
10:26Carr-Smith, Tupolotti's giving them a real go forward, and now Thokinasinghe bursts forward.
10:33Carr-Smith to the shorter side, the kick pass, up goes to Glanville, and Hennessy manages to offload,
10:41Oh, that's a terrific effort.
10:43Great defence, brilliant play from Bath, Carreras trying to go quick, he's gone.
10:50Gone quickly, and they're in.
10:55Sale complaining, complaining because they thought they should have been given time to set,
11:01Ethan Staddon was having none of it, crashed straight through for the score, and that's their third of this match.
11:07Well, it's great play by Bath, but I think the big question those guys would be saying in blue shirts
11:13is,
11:13did the referee say, hold on? I'm not sure he did.
11:17Wonderful kick across, and Hennessy does incredibly well to get the ball out of the tackle.
11:21This cover tackle on Maloney is fabulous, looks like he stopped a certain try from Vermeulen.
11:27But does the ref, his body language is sort of like, hold there.
11:34He's looking over to the corner, he's sort of saying, that's a difficult one.
11:37I know you've always got to play to the whistle, but...
11:46Well, we might just be able to find the audio for you as well, so we can hear exactly what
11:50was said,
11:50or what wasn't said, as Carreras swings this wide, but scores level, 19 each.
12:11He doesn't actually say it, it looks like he's showing Carreras slowing him down, doesn't he?
12:17And the bath player, sorry, the sail player switch off as a result, but he didn't actually say anything.
12:22It was, it was the motion, wasn't it? Yeah.
12:24He went motion to put the whistle to his lips and then didn't.
12:29Which I think would have caught sail off guard a little bit.
12:32There used to be an old trick that you'd do with the referee when you had a penalty in the
12:36wide channel,
12:37and you'd point at the goal and you wouldn't say anything.
12:40You'd say, I'm not kicking for goal, sir.
12:42I just happened to be pointing somewhere because I feel like it.
12:45But it seems like that physical movement from him has actually put the defence off and stopped them from reacting.
12:53Knock on from the sky kick, so sail playing with a scrum advantage.
13:01Van Rijn.
13:03Need a response here, the Sharks.
13:06Ford, the dummy, quirk on the inside.
13:10Wrestled to the ground by Dutoy in uncompromising fashion.
13:14Carl Smith after this.
13:15Across comes Roebuck and gathers it in.
13:20Marcy White, LaFlaherty, Rod.
13:26Carpenter.
13:28Nice delay, that was clearly forwards.
13:31And Marcel keep moving.
13:34Intervention from Peter Allen, our TMO, and back we come.
13:37But it's miles better from Sale because they've realised they've got to keep hold of the ball and go through
13:41the phases and look for space.
13:43Look, it's a forward pass, it's unfortunate for them.
13:46But on a plus point, they're now starting to think, we can't give Sale, sorry, we can't give Bath the
13:51ball anywhere near the halfway line,
13:53either penalty or turnover, because we just find ourselves in the red zone.
13:58So it's better play from them.
14:02Let's bring in Warren Sprague, who's a key part of the Sale coaching staff.
14:07Warren, what are your messages at the moment?
14:09You've built a decent lead after a tricky old start to the day, but that's been whittled away now.
14:14What are the messages?
14:18I don't know whether you can tell from the side, but the pitch, the wind on the far side of
14:21the pitch is incredibly strong.
14:22So blowing towards our left side over Tommel Flatt, as I said, the wind's really strong there.
14:27So we expect that they're going to try and pin us in that corner and we've got to be able
14:30to get up the pitch with a really positive mindset.
14:34So there's messages in there around our kicking game and how we can adapt that.
14:39But obviously against this team is a set piece and there's a physicality threat.
14:43And if we're going to have a chance in the second 40 against the Bath bench, then we've got to
14:47be incredibly physical in every aspect of the game.
14:49So that's the biggest message for us.
14:51Yeah, that's that's always a message, isn't it?
14:53With the the quality that Bath have in their in their replacements.
14:56We were mentioning earlier on in the game, it seems to have been ironed out this.
15:00And I wonder if it was catching your eye that the energy levels just didn't seem to quite be there
15:05in the opening 15, 20 minutes or so.
15:07That fair?
15:08I'm not sure about energy levels or whether or whether, you know, early on in the game,
15:13when a team kicks the ball a lot and the and the whistles getting blown all the time, there's not
15:17many there's not much to hit.
15:19And so it can feel a little bit low.
15:21But when teams hold the ball a little bit more, playing a few more phases, you can get stuck in
15:25more tackles and the energy levels are visibly higher then.
15:28And from your kicking expertise, Warren, obviously the box kicking notoriously tricky into this wind from the direction that Sale
15:35are now playing.
15:35What what are they going to do from those box kicks in particular to make sure they get the ground
15:40they need further up the pitch?
15:42Well, we should have caught that one on the full in there.
15:44So that's communication in there in the backfield.
15:47Well, for us, there's two different sides of it.
15:49When we're kicking the ball to compete, we want to be able to get the ball back in the air.
15:52So that's that's a good quality kick and really aggressive chasing.
15:54You've got to win a one on one aerial contest up there against this is, you know, one of the
15:58best teams in the league in the kit like that from Rafi.
16:02It's too long. It's too far in field. We've just got to be really connected on our chase afterwards.
16:06If we can have a good defensive set on the back of this, then that kicks all right.
16:09But it all depends on what happens next.
16:11Lovely stuff, Warren. Thank you very much for your time for technical analysis.
16:17And a clear message for the kickers of the Sale Sharks, the Quirks and the Fords.
16:26Importance of accuracy as Urbano goes to ground for Bath.
16:29Refereeing that by Luke Pearce, because Cowandiki rolled back towards the nine to clear the pathway and actually ended up
16:36rolling into the nine.
16:37But if he stays in there, he slows it down even more. So given the benefit of the doubt, the
16:43right call.
16:44That's a very, very good clearance from George Ford.
16:49Taking play beyond the 10 metre line.
16:55Such a resilient player.
16:58Speaking to Alex Sanderson over the last couple of weeks, he's been mentioning the fact that a lot of people
17:04would have been very seriously affected.
17:07by being dropped by England again.
17:10For goodness knows how many times in his career now Ford has had to deal with that.
17:15That's forwards from Carreras.
17:17As Sale look to capitalise here. Good chase on from O'Flaherty.
17:23Applying the heat at the breakdown.
17:25Hill.
17:31You all right?
17:33Okay, Bath, you use it.
17:35Stay on side.
17:36Yeah, keep up now.
17:40Carr Smith, good balance to that kick.
17:42And Roebuck takes it at the second attempt, but Muir's chase was strong.
17:46No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
17:48no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
17:48no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
17:52no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
17:54no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
17:55no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
18:14Roebuck did well to get up
18:18it's been knocked forwards by Bath so I think Reid ends ends up being offside in
18:26that scenario but it's a much better kick gives him the chance to take a high
18:31ball your thoughts on well we know your thoughts broadly on George Ford also
18:38just what we're discussing a moment or two ago it's happened so often for him
18:42for a long and of course enormously illustrious England career was at 108
18:46caps now for England but yet again been given the keys and they've been whipped
18:51away from in mid-tournament yeah it's a real tough one isn't it the the
18:56difference in selection after the island game sorry after the Scotland game was
18:59that it was almost like the backs got the blame for the performance but I saw a
19:04completely different again about energy in the pack people being on the short
19:08side could have worked harder to the far side and I don't want to use the term
19:11scapegoat because obviously Vince Smith's an excellent player but it does feel a
19:16little bit like he was left to carry the can almost he went into that tournament
19:20people saying he's the general and therefore if you lose the battle normally the
19:24general goes so it's it's a real tough offer because I don't honestly know how he
19:30works his way back in currently now he's always going to be around that squad for
19:34his coaching ability and his knowledge of the game but is he a realistic starter in
19:38Steve Borthwick's mind or whoever takes over if someone does it's not entirely clear who
19:43Steve Borthwick's number 10 is currently so he will be in that conversation you would expect
19:52all the way through to the World Cup and who knows possibly beyond it I think there's a
19:56misconception that Steve Borthwick wants to play the box kicking only game and only attack
20:01off that that's not I don't think that is how he wants to play so I guess part of it
20:05comes into it
20:06you know who is the general who's got the best out of the players on the field and who's the
20:10guy
20:10that's got England playing a bit more fluidly against France they still lost but I think that's
20:16the style of play they want to play so I agree I think I think he goes to the World
20:21Cup but I don't
20:22think the decision's been made yet but he's probably not your number 23 is he because
20:27Marcus Smith can cover the fullback position whereas George Ford's only a 10.
20:33first carry here for Dan Duprier off the bench for Sale but of course moving to Bath
20:37next season nice hands from Lowe of Flaherty works it well here's Maasi White
20:44Will Muir coming hurtling across really good tackle and in goes to Glanville to Jackal
20:50fired away to Djiboulou Ford now and for Muillen and Sale beginning to feel a little bit more like
20:56themselves in this second period Bamber lays it up forward to O'Flaherty
21:10Quirk uses Djiboulou who accelerates hard through the middle of the ruck
21:18Quirk again snared this time by Herbano Sale asking some awkward questions right about
21:27now of this Bath defence on they go through Fenrayne good possession here Ford Lowe Carpenter still
21:38those white shirts swarm they are working very hard defensively
21:49Quirk just about got a hold of it Karsmith couldn't quite resist so the penalty's been given up
22:12he just gambles Robert comes from miles away and he's at full tilt as he comes round the corner and
22:19the ball's almost just thrown into the
22:22like a football cross that goes into the box.
22:27Nice play from Ford to create that opportunity.
22:31Quick hands, the ball over the top from Oflati's good.
22:35Mahasi White uses his power to get him closer to the line.
22:39Nearly got turned over in all of that, but managed to keep it.
22:43Marius Lowe takes it tight and then not sure who exactly Raffi Quirk was aiming at,
22:50but as I said, almost just like a cross that goes into the box.
22:55Roebuck's come from miles away, steams onto it and heads it into the top corner.
23:00He's got a long way to catch Coetho and Hanley, hasn't he?
23:03But he's certainly started in the right way.
23:05I think there must be some form of telepathy in this try.
23:08Because as Ben says, there's no way he's been able to call it.
23:12Look how far away he is when he starts his run.
23:14He's miles away and then he just runs at full tilt.
23:16And he's telling Quirk now, throw the pass, throw the pass, I'll take it.
23:21And there he is and scores.
23:24Like you, I've got no idea who the pass was meant for, but it wasn't meant for him.
23:28Yeah.
23:29But that's what good wingers do, isn't it?
23:31Yeah, yeah, get there.
23:32The guy on the outside is thinking, I was walking in there, he's stolen it off.
23:36That was Mahasi White who was denied the score.
23:39It was reminiscent of a Chris Ashton type of try, wasn't it?
23:42It's like Alan Shearer, if you don't get in the six-yard box, you're not going to score goals.
23:47But playing on the wing there, he gets in exactly the right position.
23:51So a whole load of changes have been made.
23:54You may be able to pick out a few of them already.
23:58Alfie Barbary, bottom of your screen, has come on for Bath.
24:00So too Charlie Ewells and Chris Harris in their backlight.
24:04Now, backwards.
24:05And Salem replaced the whole of their front row.
24:08So Rod Cowandicki and Harper are sitting it out now.
24:13Ralph McEtrane, Ethan Kane and Ty Raymond.
24:17The all-new front row, much more callow than those who went before.
24:27He's had a good game of flight, he hasn't he, carrying the ball, he wins that high ball there.
24:33He's got an uncanny ability not to run into traffic and not be put to the floor.
24:47Ford, carpenter, attacks the space well.
24:52Dug out by Gus Waugh, but having to deal with Cam Redpath as well, simultaneously.
24:59Infringement from Bath, so Sale with their tails up.
25:03And you can see George Ford really energising everybody.
25:06Ford's the guy that makes that go, because that was set up to box kick.
25:09But he looks up and sees that Bath have all tracked back to put extra numbers in the backfield,
25:17expecting the box kick.
25:19And he makes the call.
25:21Really good reaction from Rafi Quirk.
25:24Well, that's not Quirk, is it?
25:26Ward's come on now.
25:27But then they play.
25:29They play into the space.
25:31Cause a bit of chaos.
25:33Win a penalty.
25:35Time off, please.
25:48Time's off, please, for the moment.
25:53Final quarter to see out here for Sale Sharks, not registered a Prem Victory since Boxing Day.
26:00Plus one for Sale.
26:01And Harlequins were here.
26:04Just three league wins all season.
26:09Here's Tupolotu for Bath, bouncing through one, skipping through the second,
26:13and then chipping ahead, and a brilliant chase on here for Bernard van der Linde.
26:18And the step, he's gone.
26:22What a try from Bath.
26:25Striking from deep within their own 22.
26:29Keputolotu, the provider, and van der Linde.
26:32A try scorer last week, a try scorer this.
26:37Great stuff, that.
26:37Wow, incredible.
26:39Steal at the back.
26:40And then the man who throws it, poor Ethan Kane.
26:45Tupolotu comes down his channel, just drops with that low center of gravity.
26:52Swerves off him.
26:53Gus Waal has a go.
26:54He can't.
26:55Pulls Roe back up, knows the spaces in front, outside of the right boot.
27:00The bounce is kind, but they've made their own luck, haven't they?
27:03And what a great step and finish that is as well from van der Linde.
27:07But the control of that kick, absolutely spot on.
27:13And he certainly enjoyed it as van der Linde went over, did Keputolotu.
27:19Tupolotu, the skill set for that was sensational outside of the right boot.
27:2418 inches from the touchline, moving at that pace.
27:28He scored a try last week, didn't he?
27:32Van der Linde, but...
27:35The way he steamrolls over Kane as well, as Kane tries to blitz him.
27:41Well, I think you've just got a little flicker, just as we did last week, of exactly why everybody's so
27:47excited about this fella.
27:50Played for England A in November.
27:52He's only 20, but the raw power that he's got, and the soft skills that he has.
27:57Is that stone or age?
28:03Some unit.
28:04Yeah, the power in particular.
28:06But also, the skill set to do that, when you bounce two people off, a lot of forwards, I mean,
28:11they're arranged differently inside their head.
28:14They look for ways of hurting themselves or running into other people to actually have the foresight and the skill
28:20set to put it on the outside of his right foot.
28:22Maybe he should have been a centre.
28:26Well, it only matters what he thinks he is, I guess, and I don't think he's not thinking about the
28:33number associated with him.
28:36Here's Gus War for sale, and the intercept from Barbary.
28:39Clung onto it so well.
28:41George Ford's trying to get a hand on him somehow, somewhere.
28:44There, eventually brings him down, but Bath moving forwards again.
28:48Was that forwards from Cam Redpath?
28:53Luke Pearce not all that interested in checking it, as they move forwards again through Barbary, in the sunlight now.
29:03Urbano bundled over quickly, back into position comes Carreras, Redpath.
29:12Chris Harris in with the clear out.
29:13He's trying his best.
29:15Van der Linde for Tua Pallotu.
29:22Urbano again.
29:24Sales defence containing this well.
29:29Harris Carreras.
29:33Too much to ask.
29:34What about the intercept, Ali, from that man there?
29:38He does so well to get his hand out.
29:40Look in his eyes, reads it, intercepts, and then he's like a care bear that's had too much control.
29:44Caffeine just running down the middle of the field.
29:47People jumping on his back, trying to put him down.
29:50Look at the bonnet on him.
29:51That's brilliant.
29:54Everyone loves that intercept, apart from his hamstrings that were literally on the brink of going.
30:01He's been playing some great rugby recently, isn't he?
30:04There's someone in Bath missing a cockapoo.
30:08Is he all right?
30:12Jealousy will get you nowhere, Austin.
30:13I've only asked on this once, how many are coming in?
30:14I've got two cockapoos, am I right?
30:16I promise I'll only ask this one time.
30:17How many are coming in?
30:18Because the clock's currently off.
30:19Do I have to tell him?
30:20He's looking five.
30:22Five man.
30:23He'll be wearing a salary shirt as a North Londoner next season.
30:26It's a big move for him, that.
30:28Really big move because he has to...
30:30Who's plus one, Sal?
30:31I think there's a lot more running to come.
30:34I don't want to say, it's become a bit of a caricature of himself because about a year ago, I
30:38thought, right, England, he's got England written all over him.
30:41Got to find a way of getting back there.
30:42He's definitely got the talent.
30:44I think a number of people have felt he's had England written all over him for many, many years.
30:48He was on the radar from ages ago, wasn't he?
30:51As a superstar in the making.
30:53Nothing clear.
30:54Here's another one of those in Tua Pelotu.
30:57Bath, use it!
31:01Nine.
31:04Fandilinda feeds it on for Ewan Richards, who's on in the back row for Bath.
31:09Here we go.
31:12Move, move, move, move.
31:15Step, please.
31:17Step, please.
31:20Use it!
31:22Just go stadia.
31:24Thanks.
31:25Three waiting in the backfield.
31:28Melinda's got height and it's been turned into a good kick by Louis Hennessy.
31:36Melody.
31:37Carreras.
31:38Locking a singer setting off after this.
31:41And the ball runs away in front of him.
31:44I think the other thing about Alfie Barbary, guys, is that he's no longer the rising star.
31:52He's not the guy with the potential any longer.
31:53He's 25 years old.
31:55He is, but he has had huge problems with injuries.
31:58If he's 30 touched, we'll check on how he's there.
32:00Huge, huge problems with injuries, which hasn't helped.
32:03But there is a bit of a reputation around him, isn't there?
32:06Hold on, hold on.
32:07You know, the party boy didn't help that with his celebrations after winning.
32:11But I'm with Oz, you know, he needs to now show, look, no, I'm serious about this.
32:17If he wants to, if he want, you know, he might not want to further his international ambition.
32:20You never know.
32:21He might be happy with what he's doing.
32:22But if he does, he needs to lose that perception a little bit.
32:26And then there's no reason why he can't be exactly what England are missing,
32:31particularly with Tom Willis going, that person that can break down shut doors.
32:38Over the top goes Carreras, battered on by Harris, and here is Hennessy, straightening really nicely.
32:45Good tackle, ultimately, from Maasi White.
32:48This is Redpath.
32:50Tackle!
32:52Wall of blue in front of him.
32:5426 points each.
32:5512 minutes to play.
32:58White!
33:01Go, boys!
33:04Stadden.
33:04Go!
33:06White, white, white!
33:08Bath, use it!
33:14Well done, you know.
33:15Okay, don't trap him, don't trap him.
33:24Redpath.
33:26Shaped to pass and then just thought there might have been a space to exploit.
33:32Van der Linde for Stadden again, right on the gain line.
33:42Barbary rides that first tackle.
33:44Can't escape the clutches of Maasi White, though.
33:50Obano spins and moves well.
33:54Van der Linde goes himself.
34:04Barbary again.
34:06Barbary again.
34:07Barth, use it!
34:09Go, Daniel!
34:11Go, Daniel!
34:13Du Toi.
34:15Barth, so proficient from this range.
34:19So many heavyweight options to choose from.
34:24Back foot!
34:26Go, Daniel!
34:27Go, Daniel!
34:28Go, Daniel!
34:34Feeds it out again.
34:35Ewan Richards is not too far away for Mühlen, folding himself underneath the ball and the bodies and Tupolotu has
34:44another crack.
34:4520-plus phases here from Bath.
34:51Just struggling to find that crucial extra meter.
34:55Go, Daniel!
34:58Go, Daniel!
35:01Go, Daniel!
35:02Go, Daniel!
35:03Go, Daniel!
35:03Go, Daniel!
35:04Go, Daniel!
35:05Barber again.
35:05Yes, man, let's go again.
35:06I think he's got to feed that back.
35:09Go, Daniel!
35:10Hold him up!
35:11Du Toi, even he can't reach the try line.
35:14And this defense is proving very stubborn indeed.
35:21Tupolotu sizes his up, dives to the right.
35:28Barber again, heads for the line, he's got it!
35:33A whole lot of hard graft.
35:36And Alfie Barber comes up trumps.
35:39Well, it's one of those, isn't it?
35:41How many phases in there?
35:42Twenty-two, twenty-three phases.
35:44That is, that is great.
35:48And Sale have been perfect with the defense all the way through,
35:51but you only have to get it wrong once, and Alfie Barber really smart here.
35:54They all think he's just going to pick and go.
35:56He throws the dummy, sends the defender, Raymond, out of the line,
36:02and then dives back on his inside over.
36:05He's got his eyeballs exactly where he's targeting with the ball.
36:10And he gets it through, really smart finish, lulled them into a false sense of security that it was just
36:16going
36:16to be battering around, battering around, and then he throws the dummy and dives in himself.
36:22And once again, we're looking at a team who are asking themselves the question,
36:27how do we withstand the barrage of this bath bench?
36:33Time and again, they come to the fore, a bit of a mix and match selection this week from
36:38Johan van Graan with the introduction of Dutoy and Urbano, Barbary.
36:46Just changed the complexion of things. He's got some deck to choose from.
37:09Just having a look at the stats, Ali, look at that.
37:12So Bath have had 57 phases in the red zone. Six of those were the first half.
37:18Wow. That's remarkable.
37:22You want to know how strong the wind is? 51 phases, Strong.
37:25Receiver, plus one. Who's plus one, Sayo? Seven is plus one.
37:35Kane, all the way over the top to Marcy White.
37:39Last here from Joss Gilmore, who's come on. Youngster in the back row.
37:46Roebuck.
37:56Four. Four. And a knockoff.
38:04Beginning to run out of time to create something meaningful here. Still
38:10six odd minutes to pull it out of the fire as they badly need to.
38:14Hook us down. Time to consider the player of the match contenders, Austin.
38:19Well, it's been some... I think you could add another couple in there.
38:21It's a really difficult one, obviously, being so tight either way.
38:24Some really good performance from the bath side. I think Stadden's been excellent in terms of the
38:28hard work, right, and carrying, and defensively, he's made a lot of tackles.
38:31The sheer skill of Tupolotu coming on and the potential of that young man is worth a mention alone.
38:37I think Djiboulou's been good as well. I couldn't add everybody, but O'Flaherty stood out, I think,
38:42in terms of getting turnovers and chasing balls, standing up in tackles, creating opportunities.
38:47Van Rijn's work rate's been excellent, and Masahi White's given them some direction.
38:51My criticism of Sayo will be something that next week fixes. They seem a little bit lateral at the
38:56minute. When they get that ball wide to the 15 channel, 13 channel,
39:01everybody's moving sideways. They're going to start creating more angles, and if they do that,
39:05I think they'll start to cause some damage, particularly next week in their match.
39:10They're in this strange position, aren't they? That game at the stoop against
39:16Quinns in round 16 of the Champions Cup has become all-important.
39:26Scrum penalty here to Bach.
39:27One on one's arm.
39:28One on, one on boy!
39:29It's going against Ty Raymond.
39:32One on one's arm.
39:34One on one's arm, collapse the strump.
39:49it's looked a little bit loose today hasn't he carreras with a couple of the kicks
39:53i know it's windy he's trying to he's trying to pick up that wind on the right hand side
39:56of the field there but if you don't get the ball high enough you can't take advantage of it
40:00plus one buff nines plus one he's some player though isn't he to have in reserve
40:05at the front please jacket thanks mate
40:16one-handed from ted hill barbary bundled
40:30of flaherty did well to slide past docking a singer underneath him i think more likely
40:36in goes van reyn to help with the clear out and bath going beyond the ball in their competition for
40:43it
40:47he's been a nuisance today hasn't he in the breakdown he's been brilliant for bath
40:51arms on the ground quality for them over the last few weeks
40:55leaving for bristol yeah that's right yeah big signing for bristol i think that's a cracking signing
41:01yep a couple of tries in the last two in the prem cup as well invariably name checked as well
41:08by
41:08johan van graan as one of those alongside you and richard's very much at the the forefront of
41:13what he saw was the next generation but of course players will make make decisions in their own best
41:18interests and ashton gate is where he'll be applying his trade next season
41:25marcy white low forward carpenter roebuck hennesse coming piling in over the top of de glanville
41:36for mewland hard and straight plowing onwards war looking up to the shorter side carpenter it's heavily policed
41:51gilmore ford hard work getting that away in the face of all of that traffic but
41:58the traffic at least in part caused by illegal operations
42:03through the offside line offside 23 five points in it three minutes left
42:11ford has to pin this as close to the five meter line as he can he's not gone that hard
42:14at it
42:1523
42:19it's outside of even driving range really unless you want to try and force a penalty
42:26big discussion as to what the call is front pods yours if they'll come down that
42:34plus one compete here if you're bath ben
42:38yeah you would do but it's probably not quite as necessary to complete right at the front
42:45mewland had it and maasi white is launched
42:49on a sharp angle
42:50fanrain
43:19fanrain
43:27fanrain
43:28fanrain
43:28fanrain
43:35fanrain
43:38fanrain
43:39fanrain
43:39fanrain
43:40fanrain
43:41fanrain
43:41fanrain
43:41fanrain
43:43fanrain
43:47fanrain
43:48Two knock-ons, first by Sale, then at the base.
43:52First knock-on by Sale, so it's Bath possession.
43:55If they clear from here, you're tempted to feel that that might have been the match gone.
43:59He's saying calm down, calm down, but if you pull that ball out when you're that close to the line,
44:06you've got to get it right.
44:12He's good at poker.
44:14It's been that kind of season, hasn't it, for the Sale Sharks.
44:17Not an awful lot has gone right.
44:19Just a hesitation, wasn't it?
44:21He went to throw the ball.
44:22All okay, lads?
44:24Hesitated for a fraction of a second, then had to cut back inside.
44:27Yeah, I'll encourage him to stay up.
44:29By the double tackle and someone on the ball.
44:32I think he could have got it away, though.
44:33I thought he had enough time, especially...
44:35Yeah.
44:36As this ball comes out, I think if he stands and delivers,
44:40they slide to the outside, they get it into Carpenter's hands.
44:44Maybe it sees its way out to Roebuck.
44:46He knows.
44:46Left of the mark.
44:48Yeah, left of the mark.
44:51That's arguably the game there.
44:57If you say that you probably gamble here with your front row,
45:01like, not necessarily squeaky clean.
45:04You just run at it.
45:06Maybe go just before the ball comes in.
45:10There's no point allowing a free clearance.
45:15The ball looks to be secure.
45:17Van der Linde gives that a hefty right boot.
45:25Carpenter from halfway.
45:27Keep coming!
45:28Keep coming!
45:29Keep coming!
45:30Half a minute of normal time to get this done.
45:34Dan Dupriar puts his shoulder to the wheel.
45:39forward for Mühlen.
45:41A flatty arriving just a fraction late.
45:45Tackle again from Barbary.
45:47Bath determined to hold sail here in this area.
45:53You're in the rocks.
45:54Yeah, that's fine.
45:59Forward again.
46:00A mix-up.
46:01A knock-on.
46:02Swept up by Staddon.
46:03Bath had possession.
46:04The clock is in the red.
46:07And their smash-and-grab job is complete.
46:12A much-changed bath today,
46:15but a very familiar result.
46:17From 19 points to seven down, remember,
46:20they fashioned the win.
46:22Five tries in all.
46:24Four in the second half with the win behind them.
46:27And another defeat for sail.
46:30Nine now in the league
46:32as they head into the Champions Cup.
46:33And the round of 16,
46:34which will, well, define their campaign.
46:40It's a desperate place to be.
46:42But Bath all-conquering.
46:45And yet again, that bench proving utterly critical.
46:49Full-time.
46:49Sail 26, Bath 31.
46:53Yeah, exactly, Ali.
46:54I think the bench was...
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