Bath Bogged Down As Hodgson Rises Above the Mire

There has been some resentment around the city of Bath recently, a feeling that the club's achievement in reaching the top of the Premiership had not received the recognition it deserves. Presumably, then, their supporters will take a measure of consolation from the fact that Sale found an extra edge for the visit of the league leaders, with Charlie Hodgson outstanding as he dictated play on an appalling surface.

An hour before the start there was so much standing water on the pitch that the game appeared likely to be called off but the referee, Andrew Small, gave it the go-ahead after watching the players go through their warm-ups without obvious problems in keeping their feet. Both clubs were keen to play - Bath particularly so, having beaten Gloucester in similar conditions this year - but, even so, the Tannoy announcement that high tide, rather than the kick-off, would be at 7.45pm was not far off the mark.

Viewing the sea of water and mud, Olly Barkley may not have been entirely unhappy to be on the bench for the visitors. His replacement, Shaun Berne, certainly found it difficult to judge his distances, his restarts twice skidding long, but his opposite number, Hodgson, was sure-footed from the start, landing two early penalties as Sale pressed Bath back into their 22. Berne landed one in reply before leaving the field with blood dripping from his mouth.

The sight of Ben Foden and Matt Banahan sliding into each other feet first as the Sale full-back gathered a kick suggested that, if not unplayable, the conditions had their dangers. Both teams attempted to run the ball more than might have been expected in the circumstances, though with predictably unsuccessful results.

Hodgson, however, increasingly appeared to playing on a different surface to the rest. Attempting a drop-goal five minutes before the interval seemed an act of folly but he hit it clean and straight, and as half-time approached his perfectly placed high kick saw the Bath wing Andrew Higgins, looking into the rain-filled lights, fail to gather and Oriol Ripol seize on the loose ball to score in the corner. Inevitably, perhaps, Hodgson slotted the conversion from the touchline.

Having been playing into the wind and rain, Bath must have turned around believing they were still very much in the game, an impression confirmed when Barkley's penalty narrowed the gap to 10 points. Hodgson replied almost immediately.

Bath's defence was solid but their attempts to force the game were less effective. Another ball spilled in attack saw Sébastien Chabal hacking through, and, though Barkley gathered, he was isolated when caught in possession. Bath were penalised for diving in to support and Hodgson yet again made them pay.

It was only in the final quarter that Bath did what they should probably have been doing all along, keeping the ball in hand and launching a succession of forward drives to establish field position. Even then Tom Cheeseman was held up just short by a Sharks defence determined to keep their line unbreached.

Sale Sharks Foden (Laharrague, 80); Seveali'I, Bell, Thomas (McAlister, 68), Ripol; Hodgson, Wigglesworth; Faure (Turner, 77; Cliff, 80), Briggs (Bruno, 55), Turner (Roberts, 62), I Fernández Lobbe (Schofield, 48), Jones, White (capt), J M Fernández Lobbe, Chabal (Cox, 80).

Try Ripol. Con Hodgson. Pens Hodgson 4. Drop-goal Hodgson.

Bath Abendanon; Higgins (Feau'nati, 62), Cheeseman, Fuimaono-Sapolu, Banahan; Berne (Barkley, 24), Claassens (Baxter, 80); Stevens, Mears (Dixon, 65), Bell (Flatman, 24), Borthwick (capt; Purdy, 57), Grewcock, Short, Lipman, Goodman (Crockett, 62).

Pens Berne, Barkley.

Referee A Small (London). Attendance 9,068.