Bath vs Sale Prediction: Russell to guide Bath to victory

It’s a battle between the English and Scottish Fly-halfs in the West-Country, but our Rugby Union expert Alex Cox expects it will the Scot that will be leaving The Rec with a smile on his face.

Our man @UKRugbyBets previews the action this afternoon in the Gallagher Premiership and brings us his Best Bath vs Sale Sharks Prediction from the market at Betfred...

The final Premiership game of the weekend sees Sale Sharks travel to the West-Country to take on Bath at The Rec. Bath have had a good start to the season and currently sit in 4^th spot in the Table, but a win today could move them up into 2^nd.

The Rec – unlike last season – has been transformed into a fortress, which has only been breached once this season, in a narrow loss to Leicester. With Russell at Fly-half, things have certainly started to click for Bath and they are firmly in contention for a playoff spot and a shot at reaching Twickenham.

Although Sale sit 4 spots below Bath in the table in 8^th place, it’s only a 5 point gap between them, highlighting how close this Premiership season is.

Before the International break, Sale went on a 5 match winless run, including being knocked out of the Champions Cup by French giants La Rochelle. Sanderson will be focused on getting his side back on track and trying to move the Sharks back up the table.

However, their away form is somewhat of a concern, losing 6 of their 8 away games this season, the last of those two away wins being in November. 

Team News: 

Bath

Van Grann has been able to recall his internationals straight into action for this one, meaning it’s a imposing Bath side. The front-row will be made up of Obano, Dunn and du Toit, with Roux and Ewels in the second-row behind them. Hill returns from injury to earn a spot on the flank, with England International Underhill on the other side of the scrum. The abrasive carrier of Barbeary completes the back-row and he will be tasked with giving Bath an edge on the gain line.

Spencer and Russell continue their half-back partnership, with Redpath and Lawrence forming a well-balanced midfield, full of both guile and power. Out-wide this week will be Muir, Cokanasiga and Gallagher.

Sale

Alex Sanderson has been able to get a number of his squad back to full-health during the international break and he must be glad to recall a few in particular. The front-row is made of Rodd, Cowan-Dickie and Harper. Beaumont and Wiese will combine in the second-row, with Dugdale, van Rhyn and Du Preez together in the back-row.

The Northern partnership of Warr and Ford combine at 9 and 10, the latter returning after his 6 Nations campaign with England. Tuilagi is fit again and will start at 12 with Rob du Preez joining him in the midfield. Out-wide Reed and Roebuck are on the wings, with Carpenter in charge of marshaling things from full-back.

Bet reasoning

Although Bath have a good record at home, they rarely pull away from sides, with 5 of their 7 home wins this season being by a margin less than 12. Likewise Sale are often able to stay in games thanks for Ford’s boot and I see this trend continuing and being a fairly close encounter today. The Rec crowd should act as the extra boost though and get Bath over the line with a narrow win.

You can find all our latest Rugby Union Betting Tips over on our Insights hub.