Bristol Bears drop 45m kick to lose 21-19 to Sale Sharks
The visitors missed two crucial chances in the final minutes after trailing 14-0 in the first half.
By Yasmin Farouk ·
Bristol Bears lost 21-19 to Sale Sharks at the CorpAcq Stadium on Friday night.
The defeat came in Round Three of the 2026/27 PREM Rugby Cup. The match ended with a missed penalty that would have secured the win.
Sale Sharks established an early lead that nearly proved insurmountable. Alex Wills scored an untouched try in the corner after five minutes. Tobi Wilson was then sin-binned for killing the ball at a ruck near his line.
While Bristol fielded 14 men, Arron Reed crossed for the Sharks. Ollie Davies converted both tries to put Sale ahead 14-0. The visitors traveled from the West Country earlier in the day and appeared vulnerable to being overwhelmed.
Bristol responded from their second visit into the opposition 22. Debutant number eight Totoa Auvaa crossed at the back of a driving maul launched from a lineout. Sam Worsley missed the conversion, leaving the Bears down 14-5.
The second half saw Bristol score two tries through scrum-half Max Pepper. Both scores were close-range opportunities after the forwards pressured the Sale defense. However, a drop out from under the posts went out on the full.
That error handed Sale a 5m attacking scrum. The Sharks moved the ball to the left, allowing Reed to score his second try. The margin narrowed, but Sale retained the lead.
With less than five minutes remaining, Sam Worsley attempted a 45m penalty from wide on the left to win the contest. The kick fell short of the crossbar. Sale Sharks held on for the victory.
Jordan Crane, who coached the side in the development competition, cited missed opportunities. He noted that the team spoke all week about stacking good moments. He stated that the habits needed to be better to capitalize on those chances.
Crane acknowledged that the Bears had enough good moments in the last 10 minutes to win. He said the team did not take any of them. He added that easy errors in the first half put the side under pressure, but the players held the goal line well while down to 14 men. The team created an opportunity to win in the second half but failed to convert it.
