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, committing £1 million over a three-year period to their women's section. Their application was successful, and on 6 April, Sale Sharks Women were entered into the league alongside Exeter Chiefs Women, replacing Waterloo and Richmond.
Sale's application to be a part of the Premier 15s from the 2023/24 season onwards was initially rejected by the RFU. The club would later receive a conditional offer to fill one of the two remaining places in the league in February 2023.
At the end of the 2024/25 season, head coach Rachel Taylor and Louise Dalgliesh left the club's coaching setup, 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 in Sale, Greater Manchester, and train at Carrington Lane, the Sale Sharks High Performance Centre owned by Sale FC. 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 +Season Summaries League Cup Season Competition Final position Points Play-offsCompetitionPerformance 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 competition2025-26Premiership Women's Rugby7th38–PWR Cup3rd in pool
Gold background denotes championsSilver background denotes runners-up
Current players As of September 2025
Notable players The following are players which have represented their countries at the Rugby World Cup whilst playing for Sale Sharks: TournamentPlayers selected playersOther national team players2021 11Sara Tounesi Sarah Law, Rachel McLachlan, Lisa Thomson, Molly Wright Catie Benson, Katana Howard, Nick James, Joanna Kitlinksi, Georgie Perris-Redding, Carly Waters 2025 16Holly Aitchison, Amy Cokayne, Morwenna TallingBeatrice Rigoni Leah Bartlett, Eva Donaldson, Rhona Lloyd, Evie Wills, Molly Wright Alba Capell Catie Benson, Erica Jarrell-Searcy, Georgie Perris-Redding, Olivia Ortiz Courtney Keight, Gwenllian Pyrs
Club staff RoleNameHead Coach Tom HudsonAssistant Coach Mark CuetoDefence Coach Charlie BeckettScrum Coach Luke StratfordLineout & Maul Coach Pete Anglesea As of 1 March 2025, for the 2025–26 season.
References
External links Sale Sharks Women on Twitter Sale Sharks Women on Facebook Sale Sharks Women on Instagram