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Virtually all aspects are running smoothly for Bath at this moment. After much anticipation, their long-awaited stadium renovation appears ready to happen, and on the playing surface, the title holders have started with back-to-back wins after the opening pair of fixtures. With Finn Russell scheduled to return in action next week to regain the number 10 role, it is demands a seriously good side to dethrone them.

On a wet and windy night in Somerset, however, they were pushed to their limits by a tenacious Sale team who stuck in the fight and persisted until the end. It was only with the final three minutes that Max Ojomoh slid in to score his side’s bonus point try to preserve his squad’s flawless opening to the season.

This was Sale’s fourth straight defeat on their opponents’ ground and the way it unfolded was quite similar to previous outings. The home side specializes in squeezing teams in the closing stages of games, and here was another example of it. The home team might have eased the pressure for themselves had they decided to go for an earlier penalty to widen the gap to eight points, but ultimately, the young center had the decisive moment.

The attending England head coach the national team boss had an abundance of other players to assess, with Ollie Lawrence and the rapid winger also looking keen to stand out. the Sharks’ hooker scored a second-half try and is clearly a emerging star, while the leadership and pinpoint boots of the calm the veteran fly-half shone in testing conditions.

Ford’s performance was exceptional for the Sharks despite the setback.

It was one more wet and miserable matchday when a shelter on the open temporary stand would have protected drenched spectators. Their entry passes can still cost £100, but a relief is close at hand. After lengthy debates, planning permission has been given for an 18,000-capacity stadium, with Unesco and the secretary of state having given the decision their blessing.

That merely leaves Bath expecting final authorization, which the club are confident will come through within a couple of months. And when Bath do eventually possess their own stadium by the river to enhance their exceptionally squad depth, life is going to become no easier for future visitors.

It’s not as if Sale were in any frame of mind to be overawed in a hard-fought if slightly staccato first half. Bath were regrettable to lose their England lock the experienced player to a leg problem inside the first ten minutes, and the the visitors’ forwards also made some initial progress. It was Bath, though, who showed resilience and registered the game’s first try, just when Sale were pushing forward they were exposed down the left by Lawrence before the rapid the winger evaded Tom O’Flaherty to score his first home Prem try for his boyhood team.

It was to be the story of the half: glimpses of away team quality only for Bath to hit back with devastating effectiveness. The game was still less than 30 minutes old when they added another try, the flanker breaking through off the back of a set piece and passing to the inside center on his inside to cross with flair.

Thankfully Sale still had the superb Ford to stay within reach. The playmaker had already converted a expertly taken penalty and a opportunistic three-pointer when a Bath clearance rolled right to him on the halfway line. Having taken a second to set himself, the No 10 slotted another accurate kick to close the deficit before Beno Obano, from close range, secured Bath’s next score with Sale’s captain Ernst Van Rhyn absent in the sin bin.

Mounting a comeback from a twelve-point deficit on the road would be a challenging endeavor under any circumstances, let alone against a Bath team with a extra player and a stacked bench. It was a reflection of Sale’s determination, then, when they worked Jibulu over from short yardage just seven minutes after the restart to undermine any home complacency.

Ordinarily that is the indication for Bath to raise their level, but this time the Sale side were forewarned. They made their own raft of changes and, at a five-point game, it needed a stunning tackle from the flanker to halt the strong runs of Marius Louw. A big collision by Tom Burrow also caused Ted Hill to be substituted injured, but where it mattered most, up on the points tally, Bath consistently deliver these days.