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Bristol consolidate their lead at the top of Premiership

Bristol consolidated their lead at the top of the English Premiership table on Saturday with a 10-6 win over reigning champions Sale.

It was the first time Bristol had won at Sale's Edgeley Park home and the third-placed champions now trail the table-toppers by 13 points.

Sale went ahead after 26 minutes when Daniel Larrechea slotted a 30m penalty but his opposite number David Hill leveled the scores four minutes later.

The home side went ahead after 66 minutes when Larrechea landed a second penalty but the lead lasted just two minutes as Bristol struck the decisive blow.

Robinson was forced to concede a 5m scrum and Bristol No. 8 Dan Ward-Smith went through a gaping hole in the home defense straight from the heel for the only try of the game and Hill added the extras.

Title contenders Wasps were sunk in a Recreation Ground mudbath as Bath lifted themselves further away from relegation danger with a 30-19 triumph.

Wasps wiped out an early 13-0 deficit to draw level at 16-16, but New Zealand wing Joe Maddock's second try of the game -- followed by an injury-time Shaun Berne touchdown -- finished them off and rewarded some heroically unflinching efforts by the Bath forwards.

Maddock's late clincher came after Wasps had fought back superbly through a penalty try and fly-half Dave Walder's precision goalkicking.

But Walder's opposite number Chris Malone slotted 13 points, and Bath, given confidence by Maddock's 17th-minute touchdown, stuck to their task in appalling conditions, with Berne rounding things off.

Alesana Tuilagi's try double helped Leicester to a bonus-point 28-15 victory over Saracens at Welford Road.

Tuilagi's last-gasp effort in the defeat at London Irish on Boxing Day secured a couple of bonus points and the burly winger grabbed one in each half against Saracens in a top four clash.

In other games, it was: Gloucester 15, London Irish 3; Worcester 10, Northampton 9; Harlequins 42, Newcastle 15.
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