The George Ford reaction at Sale after his 'fringe' England part

George Ford is back in the selection mix at Sale and looking to put one over his old England boss Stuart Lancaster on Friday. It was 2014 when Lancaster awarded Ford his Test debut, but the out-half will be plotting against his former head coach this weekend when the Sharks seek to get a win over Racing 92 and belatedly kick start their European campaign.

Ford was rested for last Saturday’s 19-38 round one thumping at Glasgow but has since returned to training with the hope of firing up Sale’s Investec Champions Cup campaign, which also features January matches away to the Stormers and at home to Toulon following holiday-time Gallagher Premiership outings versus Exeter, Bristol and Gloucester.

The 31-year-old had a miserable November with England, enduring difficult moments off the bench in the losses to New Zealand and Australia and then being left an unused sub in the follow-up defeat to South Africa.

He played the full 80 minutes for Sale in their December 1 league win over Handre Pollard’s Leicester but a mandatory RFU rest followed the week of the Warriors match before getting stuck into preparations for Racing.

“That’s his exact frame of mind,” said Sanderson on Tuesday evening before exiting Carrington for his son’s nativity play. “George is driving it, taking hold of it which is where he is best.

“Not on the fringes of a squad but driving the intent and the language and the standards, so he has come back in today and was very much part of it again – and that’s what we spoke about.

"He just felt like he was in and out and not really a consistent member of that England squad over the autumn internationals, certainly not on the pitch, and he wants to get some games, get some form and really grab hold of something, so we will facilitate that for him coming back in.”

The script when the Champions Cup draw was made over the summer was for a Ford versus Owen Farrell head-to-head in Manchester but that match-up was dashed with Farrell’s recent groin operation. “Pity, that’s a shame,” agreed Sanderson.