born 11 June 1979 in Whitehaven, England, Hanley signed with Sale Sharks in 1998. With a Grand Slam on the cards, Hanley was one of two Sale players to make their international debut in England's final match of their 1999 Five Nations campaign along with Barrie-Jon Mather. Although Hanley scored a try, he also was handed-off by Craig Quinnell and suffered a broken arm as Wales won 32–31. It was the only match Hanley would play for the senior England team. It was never explained to him why he was not selected again, although there was speculation that his defence need to be improved. In 2001, he trained with rugby league side St. Helens to improve his defence. Reflecting in 2005 on why he was unable to break into the England team after 1999, Hanley said "They had a settled side under Clive [Woodward] and once you were in, it was hard to get out as the team was winning all the time".