England coach Eddie Jones is monitoring the progress of Sale’s South African-born No 8 Jono Ross ahead of the summer tour to his homeland. Ross, 27, hails from Sandton in Johannesburg, but is English-qualified on account of his grandmother, Betty Hicks from Essex, and is eligible for the tour.

Steve Diamond, the Sale director of rugby, revealed that Jones had inquired about Ross, who was twice let go by Blue Bulls in South Africa before joining Sale in 2017 after three years with Stade Francais.

“We have had conversations with Eddie and Steve [Borthwick, England forwards coach] about Jono,” Diamond said. “All we can do is to get him to play like he has been playing and then we back it up with the odd conversation.

“I don’t think he will become the star, but I think he would certainly be in the running to be first on the teamsheet if I am honest.”

Ross is modestly upbeat about his unusual roundabout career path. “I don’t mind the way it has gone for me. If it comes too easy then you can fade away,” Ross told The Daily Telegraph. “Whereas it did not come very easy for me. I had to work very hard, I had to be determined, I had to keep at. Thankfully I have made a decent career out of it so far.”