Sale Sharks Women will kick-off their 2024/25 campaign in September with eight new faces, including a former Shark, a PWR winner, a 70-cap international and the Italy captain.
Rachel Taylor’s women will face Loughborough Lightning and Leicester Tigers in the inaugural PWR Up Series, which is designed to help clubs warm-up for the start of the new PWR season.
Bolstering the scrum-half ranks for the new season will be Italy skipper Sofia Stefan, who has won 87 caps for her country and won the 2023 World Rugby women’s try of the season. The 32-year-old joins Sharks from Italian side Valsugana.
Joining her in a fight for the number nine shirt will be USA international Olivia Ortiz. The 26-year-old, from Grand Haven, Michigan, has 20 caps for her country and joins from Exeter Chiefs.
She was part of the USA team alongside Georgie Perris-Redding, Katana Howard, Nick James and Erica Jarrell, who recently beat South Africa in London.
Rounding off the backs reinforcements are 70-cap Welsh international fly-half Robyn Wilkins, who also joins from Exeter Chiefs, and centre Rachel Philipps, who arrives from Edinburgh Rugby.
The Sharks pack for the new season will be beefed up by the return of former Sale star Gwenllian Pyrs. The 26-year-old prop, who has 37 Wales caps, originally joined Sharks in July, 2020, but left for Bristol Bears ahead of the 2022/23 season.
Joining her in the front row will be fellow prop Evie Roach, who was part of the Hartpury team that won the Women’s National League BUCS Super Rugby title last season.
Back-row reinforcements come in the form of PWR-winning, former Gloucester lock, Trudy Cowan. The 28-year-old joined the Cherry and Whites from DMP Sharks, where her performances had earned her a place in the 2022/23 Team of the Season.
Bringing some Spanish flair to the North West is former Barcelona flanker Alba Capell, who has won 17 caps for Spain.
Alba was part of the Spain side which won this year’s Rugby Europe Women’s Championships for the seventh consecutive year. Her side this year narrowly missed out on a place in WXV 2 after losing to Wales in the play-off.
