Just six days on from Bristol’s mammoth 54-24 win over Leicester Tigers at Welford Road, Pat Lam’s side were given a taste of their own medicine by Sale Sharks in a 38-0 hammering at Ashton Gate.
Alex Sanderson’s side took the hosts to the cleaners in virtually every department in their bonus-point win, and that is certainly reflected in the stats.
Defensive masterclass
The Sharks’ defence has taken a huge step forward since former Scotland international and Sale man Byron McGuigan took the reins as defence coach, but the win over Bristol was the first true sign of their shift in this department.
Over the 80 minutes at Ashton Gate, Sale made a whopping 166 tackles at a success rate of 80%; and within that, the forwards were a true standout. England back-rower Ben Curry led the way with 18 to his name, South African enforcer Ernst van Rhyn made 12 and returning England lock Jonny Hill notched 11. The backline also chipped in, with Rob du Preez and Raffi Quirke making 10 apiece.
Whilst the tackle count itself was superb, their ability to make dominant tackles should really please both Sanderson and McGuigan. Van Rhyn and Ethan Caine led the charge with 3 of these each and Sam Dugdale and B. Curry weren’t too far behind either, with both men making 2.
Turnovers were also a staple of their win yesterday, with the Sharks making 11 across the 80 minutes.
Just to rub salt into this gaping wound, it was also the first time Bristol had been nilled in a competitive game for eight years!
Attacking intent
Sanderson’s side don’t play particularly pretty rugby, but my word they gave Bristol an attacking lesson in the demolition job.
Sale made a huge 346 metres ball-in-hand from just 82 carries – an average of 4.2 per carry. This is pretty impressive in itself, but compare it to Bristol’s 297 metres from 148 carries then it makes even better reading for fans in the North West.
A big part of the Sharks’ attacking identity is clever kicking, led by England mastermind George Ford – who is looking back to his best since returning to club action.
Across the 80 minutes, the visitors made 494 metres from their 20 kicks from hand, an average of 24.7 per kick. Half-back pairing Ford and Quirke were right at the heart of this clever kicking too, with 7 kicks to their names.
Sale building?
This victory at Ashton Gate was Sale’s third Premiership win in a row, and their fourth victory in their past five in all competitions. As a result, Sanderson’s side sit third in the table on 29 points, just a bonus-point win off top spot.
It is almost history repeating itself too, with Sale beginning their march to the play-off semi-finals around this time last year too; could they be doing it again?
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/the-jaw-dropping-stats-behind-sale-sharks-demolition-of-bristol-bears-with-england-stars-leading-the-way
