The Curry twins – Ben and Tom – showcased their quality in attack and defence, fly-half George Ford looked back to his best, contributing 21 points in a kicking masterclass, and Manu Tuilagi’s powerful contribution will have forced England head coach Steve Borthwick to take notice.
Bristol struggled for creativity with the absence of their star centre Semi Radradra and this underwhelming display sums up a below par season, with Friday’s defeat all but ending their faint top four hopes.
Sale had won just one of their last four coming into this game but are now only one win away from a home tie in the last four and the Curry brothers were delighted with the victory.
Ben Curry said: “It’s really nice being back together playing again. As a group, results haven’t gone our way so it was important to get a win today so we can kick on.
“It would have been nice to have got five points but fair play to Gus (Warr), Fordy and Rob (du Preez) they controlled the game really well. They put the forwards in the right position, so a lot of credit has to go to them.
Denne historien er fra April 16, 2023-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.
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Denne historien er fra April 16, 2023-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Ten-try Chiefs show Pirates no mercy
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South America look to keep on building
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Scarratt excited by new pathway
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Baxter: I want to make things better
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Pearce walks in his father's footsteps
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New England group will cause uncertainty
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Galthie turns his sights to the future
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New faces take the plaudits for Saints
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