In-form Sale full-back Joe Carpenter admits part of him is focused on outshining Harlequins’ George Furbank this weekend in an attempt to force his way back into the England reckoning.

Only Exeter wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has beaten more defenders in the first two rounds of the Prem this season, as Carpenter has shown a keen attacking edge.

Furbank was England’s first-choice full-back this summer before an appendicitis sidelined him for last summer’s Nations Championship, while Carpenter has not been involved in Steve Borthwick’s set-up since winning his only Test cap in a 40-5 win over the United States in July 2025.

Their two sides meet at Sale’s Corpacq Stadium on Sunday, with Quins looking for their first points of a miserable campaign so far.

“Yeah I’d say so, in a certain aspect,” said Carpenter when asked if the personal duel with Furbank was motivation.

“Those boys [Harlequins] have just come off the back of a pretty big loss and they’ll be emotionally spiked come this weekend.

“So yeah it would be nice to have a very good performance against them and against that England competition”

Carpenter, who also scored a hat-trick of tries against Bath in the Prem Cup last month, partly puts his fast start to the season down to missing out on England selection.

After touring Japan and New Zealand in 2024 and Argentina and the United States in 2025, Carpenter’s absence from a gruelling long-haul Nations Championship trip enabled him to take part in a full club pre-season for the first time in three years.

“Those summer tours are very intense – training’s competitive, the games even more so – so to miss out on that was unfortunate,” Carpenter added.

“But to actually get a full 10 weeks of pre-season and preparation, getting the body right, was definitely something I needed. I think it’s shown in spades really from the games, I feel a lot fitter and a lot stronger.

“I’m just probably outside the mix [for England] at the moment but having back-to-back performances and playing as well as possible will definitely put me in the best position to hopefully get involved come November.”

England coaches have challenged Carpenter to improve his decision-making in backfield and his stamina to cover ground and repeatedly take on tacklers. He scored highly in Sale’s fitness testing when he reported for pre-season and has been an elusive threat with ball in hand.

“Beating defenders is a massive part of my game,” he added.

“But that repeatability is massive and something that I’m definitely feeling the benefits of, being able to go again and again and again at speed.

“It is putting me in better positions and giving me more opportunities to not only just get the ball, but affect the play positively when I do.”

Carpenter admitted that, after reaching the play-offs in each of his previous three seasons at the club, a disappointing seventh-place finish in Sale’s last campaign gave him pause for thought before he signed a new deal with the club this summer.

Sale won only five of their 18 league matches in the league and were on the wrong end of an 85-19 drubbing by Saracens in April. They were also comfortably beaten by Leinster in the last eight of the Champions Cup.

However, coach Alex Sanderson has been backed, with former England captain Courtney Lawes heading a clutch of new signings.

Lawes, backed up by the experienced Tom Curry and George Ford, produced a fine performance as Sharks claimed only their second-ever league win away to Saracens last weekend.

“After last season, re-signing was probably a bit tougher than it could potentially be,” said Carpenter.

“But after speaking to the coaches, understanding the game model going forward and hearing the signings that are coming in, I think it would have been very silly to leave.”