DEAN Schofield has hailed Sale's next generation of rising stars.

Injuries and international calls have forced the Sharks to blood a host of raw youngsters so far this season - and none have been found wanting.

And vice-captain Schofield believes that in the likes of Carl Fearns, Marc Jones, Sean Cox and David Tait - to name but a few - Sale have unearthed some future stars.

"It's been great to see so many of the younger lads coming throughthis season such as Fearnsy, Taity and Coxy," said Schofield.

"They are all quality lads and they have had a great run of games and they have really stepped up to the mark. I think they can really make a mark on the game and I'm not just saying that. They have started out much younger than I did when I first came into the Sale side. And you can just see it in them and in the way they play, that they are going to be good for Sale and that they have got a massive future ahead of them."

Sale's more immediate future will see the club enter the New Year in the rudest of health following a weekend which couldn't have gone better in terms of results both at Edgeley Park and further afield.

Demolished

Having demolished champions Wasps on Boxing Day with a bonus point 31-3 victory, the Sharks then stayed in the all-important top four of the Guinness Premiership following Saturday's fixtures.

While leaders London Irish were being beaten by Saracens, fellowplay-off rivals Harlequins and Leicester cancelled each other out in front of a record 50,000 crowd at Twickenham, drawing 16-16.

It means that Sale will travel to Worcester on Saturday in fourth place, having opened up a three-point gap on the fifth-placed Tigers.

And with long-term injury victims, Oriol Ripol and Chris Jones, both returning to action as substitutes on Boxing Day and the likes of Kristian Ormsby and Lee Thomas also close to a return, the wind is firmly back in the Sharks' sails.

The only cloud on the immediate horizon regards the decision by the RFU to cite flanker Luke Abraham following a review of Sale's 24-20 defeat at Bath nine days ago.

The former Leicester star was involved in an altercation with Alex Crockett and was alleged to have struck the Bath centre with his head.

Sale have already pre-empted any disciplinary action by Twickenham by imposing their own two- week ban on Abraham following the club's own internal DVD review of the game.

And the Sharks will, no doubt, hope that weighs heavily on the outcome the hearing which is to be held next Monday.

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