Finn Russell provided the inspiration as Premiership leaders Bath claimed an entertaining bonus-point win after edging out a Sale side missing eight England players owing to international commitments. The Scotland fly-half was pivotal throughout and claimed 12 points with the boot to pass a century of points in the Premiership this season in a typically mercurial display that cemented his side’s status as title favourites.
Russell’s deft handling helped create a first-half brace for wing Ruaridh McConnochie and he was at it again after the interval, sending a long pass out to Joe Cokanasiga who expertly ushered Max Ojomoh over the line. The centre’s 54th-minute score saw Bath lead for the first time and it was an advantage they did not relinquish, with the replacement Tom Carr-Smith latching on to a kick from Russell to clinch their fourth try late on.
A bitterly cold, windswept Sunday afternoon on the outskirts of Salford is about as far removed from a Premiership final at Twickenham as it gets. But this latest victory further encouraged the idea that Bath, who lost last year’s title decider to Northampton, are ready to go on and be crowned champions for the first time since 1996.
The result was a big blow to Sale’s playoff hopes and how Alex Sanderson must have wished he could have called upon Tom Roebuck, George Ford, Raffi Quirke, Tom Curry, Ben Curry, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Bevan Rodd and Asher Opoku-Fordjour. That group are in Girona for England’s pre-Six Nations training camp and, while there were reasons for Sanderson to maintain some optimism, Bath were not to be denied.
