CHARLIE Hodgson and Jason White may switch codes temporarily to boost their chances of World Cup selection.

The two Sale stars suffered similar serious knee injuries within a week of each other playing for their countries in November and have been ruled out of action until the end of the season.

This would give the pair little match time ahead of the World Cup warm-up games and a short-term move to rugby league may be a possibility to improve their fitness levels at such a crucial time.

It is unlikely the pair will actually play in Super League, but training with a local Super League outfit such as Warrington or St Helens may be an option for either player.

The other possibility would be a long-haul journey to the southern hemisphere to join a union playing side for a few weeks.

Hodgson and White have both just started the slow journey to recovery and their rehabilitation work is so far reported to be going well.

Recovery

Hodgson, England's first choice stand-off before his injury, said: "The injury takes a minimum six-months recovery and I'm pleased with how things are going so far.

"I hope to be playing again in July and then I will need some action if I am to be considered for the pre-World Cup fixtures. Jason is about a week ahead of me in recovery and we've spoken about the question of finding a few summer matches. I am thinking of all the options but everything depends on how the rehab goes."

The last time Hodgson suffered a similar injury was against Italy in the Six Nations when he was out of action for eight months and as a result missed his place in the England World Cup-winning squad in 2003.

Scotland skipper White has proved pivotal in turning around his country's fortunes, enjoying considerable success since he took over as captain.

Scotland coach Frank Hadden is also thinking along the same lines, but no decision has been made.

There is certainly no taboo over switching codes at Sale Sharks, particularly since the arrival of Jason Robinson from Wigan Warriors, and the club has a lot of respect for rugby league, having taken part in two cross-code games with League giants St Helens. Winger Steve Hanley trained with Saints in 2001, while the club also have links with Warrington.

Sale have also dabbled with sending players overseas, with young prop Martin Halsall spending six weeks playing rugby for Pukekohe in New Zealand after recovering from a season of ligament problems.

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