Sale Sharks trio Josh Beaumont, Will Addison and Mike Haley cannot wait to start training alongside legendary Irish scrum-half Peter Stringer and former All Blacks lock Bryn Evans when players return from a lengthy post-season break at the end of June.

Former Tranmere Rovers chief executive Jeremy Butler increased season ticket sales with the Merseyside club and now he wants to achieve similar things with Sale Sharks as the World Cup takes centre stage in England.

Sale Sharks were in command against London Irish before half-time when Danny Cipriani’s pass was fumbled allowing Andrew Fenby to score and give the home side the advantage at the interval.

Sale sit in seventh place with a European spot firmly in their sights, but with just eight points separating them from fourth a challenge for the play-offs still remains a possibility.

The Sharks will hope that a three-week break from fixtures due to the Six Nations and LV=Cup will provide the perfect tonic to their indifferent form in time for the crucial run in.

Before last week’s 28-8 thumping at Leicester Tigers Steve Diamond’s men had won three games on the spin, including victories over last year’s finalists Northampton Saints and Saracens.

We do not see the Aviva Premiership or Pro12 rugby come to a halt while the Six Nations is going on, when huge clubs lose a decent portion of their strongest and most expensive players, so the Premier League can follow suit in 2022.

Brady, 24 last Tuesday, shares the name of the four-time Super Bowl winning quarterback who is married to Brazilian supermodel Gisele and lifted his first crown since 2005 on February 1 when the New England Patriots trumped holders Seattle for the greatest prize in NFL: the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Fly-half Cipriani earned his first Six Nations squad call up since 2008 on Wednesday and could play a pivotal role in Stuart Lancaster’s side as the World Cup fast approaches.

Sale have picked up just two points in Europe this campaign as they prepare to face Clermont Auvergne but last week showed their capability to challenge anyone by comfortably beating Premiership holders Northampton 20-7 in the league.

England head coach Stuart Lancaster was at the AJ Bell stadium to watch Danny Cipriani orchestrate the performance in blustery conditions as the Sharks ran out 20-7 winners against the Premiership pacesetters.