Berne fires Bath to victory
Shane Berne landed a late penalty to see Bath snatch victory after a see-saw battle against Sale.
By Tony Curtis
Last Updated: 29/09/07 4:14pm
Shane Berne landed a late penalty to see Bath snatch victory after a see-saw battle against Sale.
Bath had stormed into an early lead, before the boot of Charlie Hodgson and a try from Spaniard Oriol Ripol had seen Sale hold the lead until the 78th minute.
Hodgson landed 14 points as Sale had held 13-12 and 19-15 leads before Berne stole the show.
Berne slotted over 11 points, while Pieter Dixon and Matt Banahan both scored tries in an enthralling match.
In fact, the West Country outfit themselves had been 12-0 up after 15 minutes and 15-13 in front at the break.
Dixon had powered over after five minutes for Berne to convert, while Banahan dived over in the corner 10 minutes later.
However, that was the end of Banahan's involvement, with Jack Cuthbert - a two try-scorer on the opening weekend - replacing him after 17 minutes.
And as Bath looked to regroup, Sale gained a foothold back into the match - with Hodgson pulling all the strings.
Hodgson first landed an 18th-minute penalty, before he was on target with a drop goal seven minutes later.
Diving
And the Sharks took the lead on 28 minutes, former Northampton winger Ripol diving over and Hodgson converting.
However it was Bath who entered the half-time interval in front, with Berne slotting over a penalty.
While Steve Meehan's men might have finished the half the stronger, it was Sale who came out for the second period with all guns blazing.
Hodgson tagged on penalties after 42 and 49 minutes to see the Sharks move into a 19-15 lead.
That advantage was cut to just a point on 58 minutes with Berne's second penalty setting up a thrilling finale.
But just as Sale thought they had done enough to clinch the victory, Berne stepped up to snatch the points.
