Bristol Bears had their last hopes of silverware shattered at Ashton Gate as they were defeated 35-29 in the second leg of their Champions Cup round of 16 clash with Sale Sharks, as the visitors advanced to the quarter-finals 44-39 on aggregate.
Never-ending disciplinary errors alongside more plot twists than a John Grisham novel made for a captivating 80 minutes.
A Luke Morahan brace and tries from Harry Thacker and captain Joe Joyce highlighted Bristol’s game, but ultimately Sale’s refusal to go down despite losing winger Aaron Reed to a red card in the 34th minute following a high tackle on Morahan, proved too much to overcome as Rob du Preez’s excellence from the tee and tries from Lood de Jager, Akker van der Merwe, Tom Roebuck and Jono Ross, proved to be enough for the visitors to leave the victors.
