Just as Leicester have formed an alliance with Bradford Bulls, so Sale are discussing a similar deal with St Helens. That will include Saints' Australian coach Ian Millward working with Sale on defensive strategy in the way Larder does for England and Leicester.
Sale have dismissed fears of St Helens making Hanley's move permanent, however.
'He is a Sale player and will remain so,' said chief executive Peter Deakin. 'Ian Millward will do a fine job in looking after him for six-to-eight weeks.
'This is purely an off-season arrangement. There's no question of him staying there any longer than that, we want him to come back a far better player knowing that his long-term future is with us.'
Hanley, as tall as New Zealand's Lomu at 6ft 4in but considerably lighter at 16-and-a-half stone, played league for home-town Whitehaven as a schoolboy before reaching the Premiership via Aspatria.
He made his international debut in 1999 in the final game of the old Five Nations, scoring at Wembley on the day Wales ruined England's Grand Slam dream, diverting the title to Scotland instead.
He has not played for England since, due to a shoulder operation, plus the emergence of Dan Luger and Ben Cohen.
