JONATHAN Mills says the Sharks' precious nine-point haul from the past fortnight will mean very little if they fail to back the wins up at Newcastle Falcons this Sunday.

Last Friday's superb 16-12 triumph at Harlequins came hard on the heels of a 36-8 demolition job on London Irish and those back-to-back Premiership wins have put Sale right back in the mix in the battle for a top-six place.

Its also set the scene for a ferocious clash with the Falcons at Kingston Park this weekend with Newcastle also enjoying a fine renaissance, having won three out of their last four league games.

However, it is a sign of Sale's ambition to again qualify for the European Champions Cup that Mills says the achievements of the past fortnight will be erased if Sale do not put in a big shift at Newcastle.

"We've set the standard for ourselves now in beating Irish and Quins but those two results will mean very little if we don't go to Newcastle and give a good showing," he said.

"We've got to match those standards week in, week out. As a squad, we put pressure on ourselves and if we go away to Newcastle and don't win, we'll be disappointed in ourselves.

"So far this season, we've been on an upward spiral then a downward one so we wanted to back up the Irish display as a pack and I felt we fronted up as a team at Quins.

"We know that we are far from the finished article and that we still have things to work on but you'd take a win away at Quins any day.

"Even without their internationals they are still a quality team. To win anywhere away from home is tough to do but to win at Quins who were champions two years ago – we'll take that.

"I think we are now finding where we're at. We're comfortable with our game again now. The conditions are starting to play into our hands I think and this is where we really kicked on as a team last year.

"We're really confident in each other and I think we're starting to put ourselves where we need to be. We've got more to go but as soon as that comes we'll be a hell of a team.

"Two wins out of two in this block of league games ain't bad at all and if we can get another win up at Newcastle before we go back into Europe we'll see where we're at in terms of the league and top six."

Second row star Mills was again part of an inspirational performance by Sale's pack at the Stoop which laid the groundwork for victory. And he believes the sense of spirit and unity engendered by director of rugby Steve Diamond has been one of the secrets behind the Sharks' revival in fortunes.

And with former British Lions Nathan Hines and rising English star Tommy Taylor on the comeback trail, Mills believes Sale's forward march can continue.

"There are not many superstars in the pack but we are all working for each other," the former London Welsh captain added.

"We're comfortable with each other and know where we're at..The guys in the front row - The Fridge (Eifion Lewis-Roberts), Vad (Vadim Cobilas) and Jonesy (Marc Jones) - are all real grafters and behind them, there's a good mix with guys who can do a bit of running about and boys who provide a bit of grunt.

"We've also got guys like Nathan and Tommy to come back but we're going in the right direction and now we need to keep cracking on. Friday is gone and forgotten. The focus is solely on Newcastle and winning at Quins will mean nothing if we don't win up at Kingston Park on Sunday."