Bath fly-half George Ford produced a superb display on the opening weekend of the Aviva Premiership as he aims to regain the England place he gave up over the summer.

Ford, 21, overshadowed rival Danny Cipriani as he helped his side to a 29-20 win over Sale this weekend, a performance that will have caught Stuart Lancaster's eye.

"It was tough. I'm not going to lie about that," Ford told reporters about missing out on England duty through injury this summer.

"Sitting there on a Saturday morning, in a sling, watching the Test matches was tough. But I had to get it done, the bottom line was I had to get it done, I couldn't carry on, I needed to try to give myself the best chance to get fit for the start of this season and try and start as well as I can.

"That was all I could focus on and all I've been concentrating on. It was hard to watch."

Bath continue their season next Saturday when they entertain London Welsh at home.