Toby Booth, the London Irish director of rugby, believes live-wire flanker Steffon Armitage will show tonight he is ready for international rugby.

With London Wasps No7 Tom Rees out for two months after suffering medial ligament damage, Armitage is pressing for inclusion in Martin Johnson's 32-man squad which the England team manager will reveal next week ahead of the Six Nations.

Leicester's Lewis Moody and Michael Lipman, of Bath, are ahead of Armitage in the pecking order but the 23-year-old is putting together a run of matches that make him difficult to ignore.

And, tonight, he can press his case further when table-topping Irish face Sale Sharks under the Edgeley Park floodlights.

Booth said: "Steffon is playing well and you never really know if a player is ready for Test rugby until he is given that opportunity. He is a lot closer than 12 months ago.

"I was impressed with his performances for the England Saxons in the Churchill Cup in the summer because that took him out of his comfort zone and he did really well. He is a work in progress, is the first to admit that and, like any good young player, he wants it now.

"However, he knows there are some steps to be taken to get there and he saw that with Delon, his brother."

Delon, the 25-year-old Exiles and England full-back, has a foot injury so misses the game against a club who are in transition.

Sale's director of rugby Philippe Saint-Andre is about to leave to return to France, Scotland captain Jason White is off to Clermont, Sebastien Chabal is expected to turn up at Toulon, with Luke McAlister, their All Black star, possibly making the same switch before heading home to New Zealand for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Sale, fifth in the Premiership, hammered Wasps 31-3 in their last home game.

Irish, however, have won four of their last five matches at Edgeley Park - the best record of any Premiership team.

If Armitage can produce the quick ball that is the lifeblood of the high-tempo Irish game, then that record will continue.

However, Booth is well aware evening kick-offs, favoured by Sale as they regularly get crowds of nearly 10,000 for Friday night games, cause problems for opponents. "Playing night games in Europe makes it difficult because it tends to be a greasy ball and cold and that doesn't lend itself to the style of rugby we like to produce on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon," said Booth.

"People take a more pragmatic approach to these night games and with Charlie Hodgson and Luke McAlister in their side, kicking the ball down deep into our territory is an obvious tactic. You find yourself under a lot of pressure very quickly against Sale.

"We have a good record there. We beat them at the end of last season at Edgeley Park and Sale missed out on the play-offs when other fixtures also went against them on the last regular weekend. I am sure they haven't forgotten.

"This is very much a physical test for us because, like us, they have a big set of forwards and they look to play a more structured rather than fluid style of rugby, which they do very well. We have got it right up there before and we have to believe in what we are doing despite 15 people on the other side trying the opposite."

Besides a big game from Armitage, Booth is looking to muscular centre Elvis Seveali'i to prove that Sale were wrong to let him join the Irish.

He said: "Elvis is going back to Sale and he was a player we had our eye on for some time because Seilala Mapusua, who now plays at centre with him, had spoken so highly about him. Together, they give us real power and pace in the midfield area."

Sale have opted to leave England internationals Andrew Sheridan and Mathew Tait on the replacements' bench as they return after injury.

Saint-Andre is looking for his side to continue from where they left off after beating Wasps so convincingly on Boxing Day.

He said: "After the disappointment of not playing last week at Worcester, the players are looking forward to the evening game.

"In our last game, against Wasps, we played well and I am looking for more of the same against London Irish.

"They are worthy leaders of the Premiership and we know we will need to be able to play and compete for the whole 80 minutes.

"Their victory against Newcastle last week underlined that they will attack you from anywhere on the pitch and at any time."