Sale Sharks Women
| Union | Cheshire RFU |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2020 |
| Ground(s) | Heywood Road |
| Coach(es) | Tom Hudson |
| Captain(s) | Lauren Delany & Georgie Perris-Redding |
| League(s) | PWR |
Sale Sharks Women are a women's rugby union club based in Sale, Greater Manchester, England. They were founded in 2020 as the women's team of Premiership Rugby side Sale Sharks. They currently compete in Premiership Women's Rugby, the highest division of women's rugby union in England.
History
On 30 January 2020, Premiership Rugby side Sale Sharks announced that they would apply for place in the Premier 15s League ahead of the 2020–21 season,[1] committing £1 million over a three-year period to their women's section.[2] Their application was successful,[3] and on 6 April, Sale Sharks Women were entered into the league alongside Exeter Chiefs Women, replacing Waterloo and Richmond.[4]
Sale's application to be a part of the Premier 15s from the 2023/24 season onwards was initially rejected by the RFU.[5] The club would later receive a conditional offer to fill one of the two remaining places in the league in February 2023.[6]
At the end of the 2024/25 season, head coach Rachel Taylor and Louise Dalgliesh left the club's coaching setup,[7] with new head coach Tom Hudson being appointed in February 2025 to prepare for the upcoming 25/26 PWR season.
Home ground
Sale Sharks Women play their home matches at Heywood Road (currently named CorpAcq Stadium for sponsorship reasons) in Sale, Greater Manchester, and train at Carrington Lane, the Sale Sharks High Performance Centre owned by Sale FC.[8] In March 2024, the club played their first standalone game at the men's home venue, the Salford Community Stadium, and this was followed up with a double header at the ground in December 2024.
Season summaries
| League | Cup | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Competition | Final position | Points | Play-offs | Competition | Performance |
| 2020–21 | Allianz Premier 15s | 9th | 19 | – | No competition | |
| 2021–22 | Allianz Premier 15s | 9th | 14 | – | Allianz Cup | 3rd in pool |
| 2022–23 | Allianz Premier 15s | 7th | 35 | – | Allianz Cup | 7th |
| 2023–24 | Allianz Premiership Women's Rugby | 8th | 13 | – | Allianz Cup | 6th |
| 2024–25 | Allianz Premiership Women's Rugby | 9th | 4 | – | No competition | |
Gold background denotes champions
Silver background denotes runners-up
Current players
As of September 2023[9]
Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
Notable players
The following are players which have represented their countries at the Rugby World Cup whilst playing for Sale Sharks:
| Tournament | Players selected | England players | Other national team players |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 11 | Rachel McLachlan, Molly Wright, Sarah Law, Lisa Thomson , Sara Tounesi , Carly Waters, Catie Benson, Georgie Perris-Redding, Joanna Kitlinksi, Katana Howard, Nick James |
Club staff
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Tom Hudson[10] |
| Assistant Coach | Mark Cueto[11] |
| Defence Coach | Charlie Beckett[12] |
| Scrum Coach | Luke Stratford[13] |
| Lineout & Maul Coach | Pete Anglesea[14] |
- As of 1 March 2025, for the 2025–26 season.
References
- ^ "Sale Sharks Enter Unchartered Waters with High Performance Women's Team Bid". Sale Sharks. 30 January 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ Tomas, Fiona (6 April 2020). "Premier 15s clubs being underfunded, says Richmond board director". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ "Club Statement – Sale Sharks Women to join Tyrrells Premier 15's". Sale Sharks. 6 April 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ "Tyrrells Premier 15s clubs until 2020 confirmed". Premier 15s. 6 April 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ "Club Statement - Sale Sharks Women". Sale Sharks. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ "Sharks Women receive conditional offer to join Premier 15s". Sale Sharks. 1 February 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
- ^ Diamond, Sam (22 January 2025). "TAYLOR TO STEP DOWN FROM SHARKS WOMEN ROLE". Sale Sharks. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
- ^ "About". Sale Sharks. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ "Womens Archives". Sale Sharks. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- ^ "Tom Hudson named women's Head Coach". Sale Sharks. 24 February 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ "CUETO COMPLETES WOMENS COACHING TEAM". Sale Sharks. 28 February 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ "Beckett second addition to women's line-up". Sale Sharks. 25 February 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ "Luke Stratford joins women's coaching team". Sale Sharks. 26 February 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ "Pete Anglesea joins Sharks Women coaching team". Sale Sharks. 27 February 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2025.