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A close shave

11/ 7/2008

NEW back row Luke Abraham has undergone a mini makeover since joining Sale Sharks.

The 24-year-old arrived at the club sporting a beard and haircut to rival his Gallic team-mate Sebastien Chabal.

But it wasn’t long before Abraham shed his long locks, ending the resemblance between Sale’s back row pair and losing the former Leicester player a potentially lucrative bet.

Abraham explained: "I was growing a beard for a bet – it was supposed to be for a year but I fell short.

"Summer’s coming – it was too hot for a beard – so I shaved it off. If I hadn’t lost the bet I would have won a holiday, but I had to grow it for six more months so it would have been a big sacrifice."

Abraham signed for Sharks from Leicester Tigers, the club he has played for since his teens.

By the start of last season Abraham was a regular in the Leicester first team, playing in 15 games before a neck injury in January forced him out for several months.

"I had just come off after a game and my neck seized up," explained Abraham. "It was an old injury from two years ago. I think I just aggravated it and it put me out for a while."

An operation later and Abraham is now in full training and looking forward to the season ahead.