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]

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.^[7]

Season summaries

Current players

As of September 2023^[8]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union Scarlett Fielding Hooker England Molly Kelly Hooker Wales Marion Ridegway Hooker England Niamh Swailes Hooker England Molly Wright Hooker Scotland Catie Benson Prop United States Detysha Harper Prop England Elsbeth Innes Prop England Alice Iwanejko Prop England Nick James Prop United States Erica Jarrell Prop United States Sophie Lewis Prop England Jessica Panayiotou Prop England Gwenllian Pyrs Prop Wales Evie Roach Prop England Amber Schonert Prop South Africa Niamh Williams Prop England Iona Antwis Lock England Trudy Cowan Lock England Vicky E Irwin Lock Ireland Molly Morrissey Lock England Elizabeth Shermer Lock England Morwenna Talling Lock England Jo Brown Back row Ireland Alba Capell Back row Spain Jasmine Hazell Back row England Katie Moore Back row England Sara Moreira Back row Portugal Georgie Perris-Redding (cc) Back row United States Lucie Sams Back row England Kay Searcy Back row England

Player Position Union Willow Bell Scrum-half England Olivia Ortiz Scrum-half United States India Perris-Redding Scrum-half United States Sofia Stefan Scrum-half Italy Jess Taylor-Roberts Scrum-half Wales Cara Cookland Fly-half England Lizzie Duffy Fly-half Ireland Grace White Fly-half England Robyn Wilkins Fly-half Wales Hollie Bawden Centre England Alicia Calton Centre England Katana Howard Centre United States Vicky A Irwin Centre Ireland Laura Perrin Centre England Rachel Phillips Centre Scotland Beatrice Rigoni Centre Italy Lauren Bolger Wing England Frankie Harvey Wing England Sophie Hopkins Wing England April Ishida Wing England Nikita Prothero Wing England Ellen Ramsbottom Wing England Holly Thorpe Wing England Eva Wood Wing England Lauren Delany (cc) Fullback Ireland Isobel McGuire-Evans Fullback Scotland Rachel Woosey Fullback England

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 of Operations for Women's Rugby	Callum Yorke[9]
Women's Performance Lead	Katy Daley-McLean
Women's Performance Coach	Rachel Taylor[10]