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Virtually all aspects are running smoothly for Bath at this moment. Finally, their long-awaited stadium renovation appears on the verge of starting, and on the pitch, the title holders have started with back-to-back wins after the opening pair of fixtures. With Finn Russell due back in action next week to take back the fly-half baton, it is going to take a exceptionally strong side to dethrone them.

On a damp and gusty night in Somerset, however, they were forced to labor intensely by a resilient Sale Sharks team who dug in deep and refused to go away. It was only with three minutes left that Max Ojomoh slid in to score his side’s crucial touchdown to maintain his squad’s perfect start to the season.

This was Sale’s fourth straight defeat on their opponents’ ground and the way it unfolded was mostly typical to previous performances. Bath make a virtue in wearing down opponents in the last 20 minutes of games, and here was yet another instance of it. The Bath side might have simplified matters for themselves had they decided to go for an earlier penalty to extend their lead to eight points, but ultimately, the young center had the final word.

The watching England head coach Steve Borthwick had an abundance of other players to evaluate, with Ollie Lawrence and Henry Arundell also looking keen to catch his eye. the Sharks’ hooker scored a second-half try and is undoubtedly a promising talent, while the game management and precision kicking of the unflappable the veteran fly-half stood out in difficult weather.

Ford’s performance was exceptional for the away side despite the defeat.

It was yet another rain-soaked evening when a cover on the open temporary stand would have spared its soaking inhabitants. Their entry passes can still be priced at a hundred pounds, but a solution is close at hand. After years of disputes, official approval has been given for an 18,000-capacity stadium, with international authorities and the government minister having endorsed the project.

That merely leaves Bath awaiting final authorization, which the club are confident will materialise within a short period. And as and when Bath do at last own their own waterside arena to match their remarkably team roster, life is going to become more challenging for away sides.

Not to suggest Sale were in any disposition to be frightened in a physical if somewhat disjointed first half. Bath were regrettable to lose their England lock the experienced player to a leg problem inside eight minutes, and the the visitors’ forwards also made some initial progress. It was Bath, though, who showed resilience and notched the game’s opening touchdown, just when Sale were threatening they were exposed down the left flank by Lawrence before the swift the winger evaded Tom O’Flaherty to score his maiden Premiership try at home for his childhood club.

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

Thankfully Sale still had the outstanding Ford to remain competitive. The national number 10 had already landed a finely judged penalty and a opportunistic three-pointer when a Bath drop-out skidded directly to him on the midfield. Having taken a brief pause to compose himself, the fly-half executed another inch-perfect drop to narrow the gap before the prop forward, from short distance, scored Bath’s third try with Sale’s captain Ernst Van Rhyn absent in the sin bin.

Fighting back from a twelve-point deficit on the road would be a tough assignment anywhere, especially against a Bath team with a man advantage and a stacked bench. It was a testament to Sale’s determination, then, when they created the try from short yardage just seven minutes after the second-half kickoff to puncture any home complacency.

Usually that is the indication for Bath to raise their level, but this time the visitors were forewarned. They made their own raft of changes and, at a narrow margin, it required a spectacular tackle from the flanker to stop the strong runs of the center. A big collision by Tom Burrow also led to the Bath player to exit early, but where it really counted, up on the result, Bath always find a way these days.