The winger emerged as part of an exceptional crop including Freddie Burns, Henry Trinder and Jonny May but, as Nigel Davies showed during his time in charge at Scarlets, Gloucester's new Director of Rugby is not afraid to throw more youngsters in at the deep end.
And England international Sharples believes it won't be long before Ian Clark - who scored a hatful of tries for Hartpury - and Steph Reynolds are breathing down his neck.
Sharples said:
"Ian is very quick, has good feet and I think he already made his mark in 7s last year.
"Steph as well is lightning fast and I think he will do very well if he is given his chance. They are like a pair of whippets - they can fly past you in a blink of an eye and are really hard to bring down.
"I am still 22 but when you have guys like that around I no longer feel like one of the younger players.
"There are guys coming through every year keeping you on your toes but it is good to have that pressure and it makes you a better player.
"Hopefully they will be able to learn off guys like myself and Jonny May in the same way we learnt off guys like James Simpson-Daniel when we came through.
"I think they will really benefit from playing in the J.P. Morgan Premiership Rugby 7s - it is a great way to develop your skills and as a winger it is great for your confidence to be getting the ball in space and be given the license to take people on."
"There's a real buzz about the club at the moment with Nigel and other coaches coming in. By the very nature of having changes there is excitement and I want to be a part of that."
The final pool of the J.P. Morgan Premiership Rugby 7s Series kicks off at 7.30pm on Thursday, 26 July at Kingsholm.
Gloucester Rugby will be battling Bath Rugby, Exeter Chiefs and Worcester Warriors for the last two places in the final at Bath on Friday, 3 August.
To book tickets call 0871 871 8781 (option 2) or visit www.gloucesterrugby.co.uk.
