Ripol was injured in the dying seconds of the game against the Blues

Spanish wing Oriol Ripol has joined Sale's injury list after breaking his arm on Saturday.

Ripol faces a long spell on the sidelines after he was injured in the dying seconds of the Sharks' 18-17 defeat by Cardiff Blues.

He is the third Shark to suffer serious injury in the past few days, with hooker Sebastien Bruno and second row Sean Cox both hurt on Wednesday.

Bruno ruptured a biceps near his elbow and Cox suffered a dislocated knee cap.

"We've lost three players for a few months - Cox, Bruno and Ripol - so it's been a bad four days," said director of rugby Phillipe Saint-Andre.

It means Sale will head to France for their Heineken Cup opener against Clermont Auvergne on Saturday on the back of successive defeats and with a growing injury list.