EUROPEAN CHALLENGE CUP SEMI-FINAL: BATH SWEPT Sale aside 36-14 to earn their third European Challenge Cup final place in five years and they will be favourites in the decider against Worcester.
Bath will be looking for their first trophy in 10 years but the quality of their five-try performance shows they are also heading for the English Premiership play-offs next month in prime form.
Sale, also with league ambitions but beset by injuries, were eventually outclassed and failed to score in the second half. In the absence of the injured Jason White, Sale were led by the secondrow Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, whose brother Juan filled in at number eight.
Back-row resources were stretched with Sebastien Chabal also on the casualty list along with flanker Magnus Lund. Mark Cueto had pulled out with a hamstring strain. Bath, second in the Premiership, and with the luxury of two routes to Heineken Cup qualification, welcomed back Alex Crockett at centre and also brought in Chris Goodman at number eight.
The tie began at a furious pace, producing 36 points in 22 minutes. Charlie Hodgson drew first blood with two minutes gone with a drop goal but conceded a charge-down try a minute later to Michael Claassens. Olly Barkley converted and added a penalty shortly afterwards when Andrew Sheridan was penalised at a scrum.
The latter had a real battle in the scrum with Matt Stevens but the Bath tighthead also had a storming game in the loose, making an outside break before Michael Lipman touched down in the corner after nine minutes. Barkley converted from the touchline.
Hodgson replied with a penalty to cut the lead to 17-6. After 17 minutes the outhalf produced an inch-perfect kick from a tapped penalty for Chris Mayor to claim a try.
Sale then lost Chris Bell to injury but Luke McAlister kicked a penalty from nearly 50 metres to reduce the margin to three points.
Danny Grewcock supported Claassens and David Barnes to score from short range after 22 minutes, Barkley's conversion being the last score of the half.
Sale, although under pressure in the lineout, had been more than competitive in the scrum until a dazed Sheridan went off soon after the restart. He was soon followed by skipper Lobbe as Sale rang the changes in a bid to break Bath's stranglehold.
But when All Black McAlister dropped a ball Butch James hacked on, leaving wing Andrew Higgins to outpace Will Cliff and Hodgson to score a converted try after 59 minutes.
As Sale began to tire, Bath confirmed their superiority when James nudged a kick through for Banahan to score the fifth try and put the home team out of sight.
SCORERS: Bath: Tries: Claassens, Lipman, Grewcock, Higgins, Banahan. Cons: Barkley 4. Pens: Barkley. Sale: Try: Mayor. Pens: Hodgson, McAlister. Drop goal: Hodgson. Attendance: 8,216.
