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Bath seal impressive win at Sale as George Ford dominates proceedings Bath seal impressive win at Sale as George Ford dominates proceedings
(35 minutes later)
George Ford, the 21-year-old fly-half who missed England’s summer tour to New Zealand to get his shoulder repaired, on Saturday restored his position in what passes as the England pecking order, setting up both tries and shading the head-to-head contest with one of the No10s who did fly south, Danny Cipriani.George Ford, the 21-year-old fly-half who missed England’s summer tour to New Zealand to get his shoulder repaired, on Saturday restored his position in what passes as the England pecking order, setting up both tries and shading the head-to-head contest with one of the No10s who did fly south, Danny Cipriani.
Ford engineered the first try in under a minute of the new season, then when Sale looked like stealing the game, having roughhoused their No8 Mark Easter over to take the lead for the first time with 16 minutes to go, settled things with a shimmy opening Semesa Rokoduguni’s route to the right-hand corner.Ford engineered the first try in under a minute of the new season, then when Sale looked like stealing the game, having roughhoused their No8 Mark Easter over to take the lead for the first time with 16 minutes to go, settled things with a shimmy opening Semesa Rokoduguni’s route to the right-hand corner.
Add a touchline conversion and a penalty from halfway – his second of the game – and a perfect kicking performance and the England head coach Stuart Lancaster and the backs coach Andy Farrell, sitting in the stands will have taken note. Not that Cipriani had a bad game – he was also perfect with the boot – just that Ford’s interventions worked, as Steve Diamond the Sale director of rugby agreed later.Add a touchline conversion and a penalty from halfway – his second of the game – and a perfect kicking performance and the England head coach Stuart Lancaster and the backs coach Andy Farrell, sitting in the stands will have taken note. Not that Cipriani had a bad game – he was also perfect with the boot – just that Ford’s interventions worked, as Steve Diamond the Sale director of rugby agreed later.
He put defeat down to “disciplinary issues” which gave Bath field position just as the game looked like going the route of last season when Sale did the double. “Then George Ford did a show and go and that was it,” said Diamond, who added that the fly-half had spotted a flaw in Sale’s defensive pattern. “He’s a good player and he spotted it,” said Diamond.He put defeat down to “disciplinary issues” which gave Bath field position just as the game looked like going the route of last season when Sale did the double. “Then George Ford did a show and go and that was it,” said Diamond, who added that the fly-half had spotted a flaw in Sale’s defensive pattern. “He’s a good player and he spotted it,” said Diamond.
That and the Easter try were the subject of reference to the TMO, none of which were seen by the crowd because Sale do not provide a screen even for the England coaches who were at Salford six weeks ahead of picking their squad for the autumn to see whether Cipriani could build on the summer momentum of a trip to New Zealand, or whether Ford was on course to reclaim his place as deputy to Owen Farrell.That and the Easter try were the subject of reference to the TMO, none of which were seen by the crowd because Sale do not provide a screen even for the England coaches who were at Salford six weeks ahead of picking their squad for the autumn to see whether Cipriani could build on the summer momentum of a trip to New Zealand, or whether Ford was on course to reclaim his place as deputy to Owen Farrell.
While Ford was under the knife Cipriani, back in England colours after an absence of close on six years, was making cameo appearances in the first and third Tests as well as a more meaty part in the mid-week win over the Crusaders.While Ford was under the knife Cipriani, back in England colours after an absence of close on six years, was making cameo appearances in the first and third Tests as well as a more meaty part in the mid-week win over the Crusaders.
On Saturday Cipriani, making his 100th appearance for Sale, was on the back foot from the off. Forty-two seconds into the season, Bath’s collective willpower won them the ball 40 metres out on the right. Ford looked at a space wide left and Anthony Watson, another of those to state his England case against the Crusaders, raced through to pilfer the ball from a thicket of Sale hands and slide under the posts from where Ford had no trouble pushing the lead to seven points.On Saturday Cipriani, making his 100th appearance for Sale, was on the back foot from the off. Forty-two seconds into the season, Bath’s collective willpower won them the ball 40 metres out on the right. Ford looked at a space wide left and Anthony Watson, another of those to state his England case against the Crusaders, raced through to pilfer the ball from a thicket of Sale hands and slide under the posts from where Ford had no trouble pushing the lead to seven points.
Add a 50-yard clearance from under his own posts from Ford , while Cipriani was feeding on a diet of wayward passes and hurried ball, and the early exchanges in the fly-half head-to-head were one‑way traffic. Add a 50-yard clearance from under his own posts from Ford, while Cipriani was feeding on a diet of wayward passes and hurried ball, and the early exchanges in the fly-half head-to-head were one‑way traffic.
However Sale bought wisely when they persuaded the giant lock Nathan Hines to join them from Clermont Auvergne. Hines may be 39, but he has learned a bit with the likes of Leinster and Perpignan and has more than 20 stone to throw about, which he did with considerable vigour as the Sale pack sought to build pressure. A couple of Bath scrums went backwards and both Alafoti Fa’osiliva and Rokoduguni proved fallible under towering kicks.However Sale bought wisely when they persuaded the giant lock Nathan Hines to join them from Clermont Auvergne. Hines may be 39, but he has learned a bit with the likes of Leinster and Perpignan and has more than 20 stone to throw about, which he did with considerable vigour as the Sale pack sought to build pressure. A couple of Bath scrums went backwards and both Alafoti Fa’osiliva and Rokoduguni proved fallible under towering kicks.
Initially the Sale effort went unrewarded and Ford was next on the board, landing his first penalty while Cipriani had a more painful route to his first points, getting up off the deck after being flattened by Dominic Day - the Bath lock earning a yellow card for his late and clumsy challenge. Initially the Sale effort went unrewarded and Ford was next on the board, landing his first penalty while Cipriani had a more painful route to his first points, getting up off the deck after being flattened by Dominic Day, the Bath lock earning a yellow card for his late and clumsy challenge.
The pain would have been all the worse when Ford landed a straightforward penalty two minutes later to cancel out those points, but Sale’s persistence got its reward when a clever kick-off from Cipriani was taken by another of England’s summer tourists Michael Paterson for Sale to set up camp on the Bath line.The pain would have been all the worse when Ford landed a straightforward penalty two minutes later to cancel out those points, but Sale’s persistence got its reward when a clever kick-off from Cipriani was taken by another of England’s summer tourists Michael Paterson for Sale to set up camp on the Bath line.
Several times Bath looked like raising the siege, but Cipriani kept a scrappy period of play going with a neat side foot of a loose ball to Will Addison before fellow centre Mark Jennings dived in for Sale’s first try of the season.Several times Bath looked like raising the siege, but Cipriani kept a scrappy period of play going with a neat side foot of a loose ball to Will Addison before fellow centre Mark Jennings dived in for Sale’s first try of the season.
The Cipriani conversion and a penalty each for the fly halves kept the half-time gap at three points when Bath exchanged one England tight-head for another and soon after brought on the Test lock Dave Attwood to shore up an under pressure pack.The Cipriani conversion and a penalty each for the fly halves kept the half-time gap at three points when Bath exchanged one England tight-head for another and soon after brought on the Test lock Dave Attwood to shore up an under pressure pack.