| Bristol (13) 20 |
| Tries: Naulago, Ibitoye; Pens: MacGinty, Williams; Cons: MacGinty 2 |
| Sale (19) 36 |
| Tries: B Curry, J-L du Preez, Warr; Pens: Ford 4 Cons: Ford 3 Drop goal: Ford |
Sale Sharks sealed their place in the Premiership play-offs with a 36-20 win over Bristol Bears at Ashton Gate.
Three penalties from George Ford and a Ben Curry try helped Sale to an 11-point lead before Siva Naulago scored for Bristol.
Tries from Jean-Luc du Preez and Gus Warr then stretched the Sharks’ lead, while Gabriel Ibitoye scored in the final 10 minutes for the hosts.
Second-placed Sale are now seven points clear of Leicester in the table.
After winning 10 of their first 13 games this season in the league, Sale’s form had stuttered of late, with only one win in their previous four Premiership matches and no wins away from home since early October.
Yet they are now in the driving seat to secure a home tie in the play-off semi-finals with two games remaining.
George Ford and AJ MacGinty traded penalties inside the first 10 minutes in what proved a cagey opening period with both teams struggling to build much in attack on a slick pitch in the Bristol rain.
Ford kicked another two from the tee to nudge Sale back in front, MacGinty’s second then reduced the deficit to three points but Ford took advantage to fire over a drop-goal to make it 12-6.
Curry finally scored the first try of the night after half an hour, shaking free of a tackle in the Bristol 22 to run over unopposed.
Sale’s second try came shortly after the second-half restart when Jono Ross made a line break before passing inside for Du Preez to go over.
Ford kicked a fourth penalty with his tally for the night eventually reaching 21 points, while Gus Warr scored the Sharks’ third try 11 minutes from time, after spotting a gap following a scrum.
Bristol, who had not lost since November at home in the league, are now all but out of play-off contention as they remain 10 points behind fourth-placed London Irish with two games to play.
Bristol: Piutau, Naulago, Jenkins, Williams, Ibitoye, MacGinty, Randall (c); Genge, Thacker, Lahiff, Batley, Vui, Luatua, Harding, Bradbury.
Replacements: Capon, Y Thomas, Sinckler, Jeffries, D Thomas, Uren, Bedlow, Lloyd.
Sin-bin: Genge (59)
Sale: Carpenter, Roebuck, R du Preez, Tuilagi, O’Flaherty, Ford, Warr; McIntyre, Van der Merwe, Schonert, J-L du Preez, Hill, T Curry, B Curry (c), Ross.
Replacements: Ashman, Rodd, Oosthuizen, Beaumont, Dugdale, Quirke, James, Reed.
Referee: Luke Pearce
