England coach Johnson starts new job by watching Bath book place in Euro final

Dressed down in jumper and jeans, and flanked by England coaches John Wells and Graham Rowntree, Johnson ignored a few wags in the 8,000 crowd to focus his expert eye over a thrilling contest that gives Bath the chance to complete a Premiership- European double this season.

Sale were never given a chance to repeat their Challenge Cup-winning performances of 2002 and 2005, thanks largely to Bath's outstanding back division and a pack dominated by the heroic Matt Stevens, one of the first players to book a place on England's summer tour to New Zealand.

Named man of the match, the colossal Stevens gave a riveting performance of scrummaging power, handling ability and movement to become the obvious choice in Johnson's mind to replace the injured England captain Phil Vickery.

Indeed, Stevens, 25, played so well in front of the new England supremo to suggest he might well have written Vickery completely out of the script when he has made a full recovery from this latest injury.

Johnson was reluctant to react to friendly banter from the crowd watching this absorbing contest, preferring instead to talk to former England coach Jack Rowell and make mental notes to fill the vacancies on the two squads he will select for New Zealand and the England Saxons tour to Canada.

Bath's five tries to one supremacy over the Sharks illustrated vividly the difference between these two teams and several players on both sides acquitted themselves well in front of the Twickenham hierarchy.

Notable among the others raising their hands for selection were Bath players Nick Abendanon, Olly Barkley, Matt Banahan, Lee Mears, Steve Borthwick, Michael Lipman, and Duncan Bell, with Danny Grewcock also doing enough to remind Johnson that he needs quality players in the interim and not only for the next World Cup.

Among Sale's England candidates were Ben Foden, Richard Wigglesworth, Dean Schofield and Charlie Hodgson, a fine player still but a yard short of pace judging by this unconvincing performance in front of the new boss.

In fact, it was Hodgson's drop goal after two minutes that gave Sale a lead they held for only a minute before Bath forged ahead through a try from Michael Claassens that Barkley converted to bring his tally in European competition this season to 72 points.

Further tries by Lipman and Grewcock to one by Chris Mayor enabled Bath to build a healthy 10- point advantage by half-time.

Sale could, and should, have closed the gap when Luke McAlister and Julien Laharrague broke free for what should have been a stoppage-time try, only for Andrew Higgins to deny them with a magnificent tackle. Then, a penalty miss by McAlister right on the stroke of half-time seemed to blow all hope of a revival.

Further Bath tries by Higgins and Banahan completed a wonderful afternoon for a club who will face Worcester in the final on May 25 and whose grip on some silverware is long overdue.

Bath coach Steve Meehan described his team's performance as the 'best execution' of a plan in his two years at the club. He said: 'This was the rugby we want to play. It was the reward for harmony between forwards and backs.

It was an opportunity for Stevens to show he is the best prop in England. He is coming into his prime.

'Grewcock's England selection is for someone else. I would not put a red line through his name if I was the England coach.'