Sale Sharks have appointed former Leicester Tigers and Gloucester forward Charlie Beckett as the club’s new women’s defence coach.
Born in Liverpool, Charlie, 29, joins Sharks from PWR side Loughborough Lightning, where he held the position of assistant coach during the 2024/25 season.
Charlie’s sister, Sarah, is a Red Rose with 34 caps, played his youth rugby at Waterloo and Merchant Taylors’ School and was involved with the Sharks DPP programme, along with new Sharks Head Coach Tom Hudson.
His first professional contract came at Leicester Tigers and that was followed by spells at Gloucester Rugby, Jersey Reds, Ampthill, Ealing Trailfinders and Doncaster Knights.
When he retired to focus on coaching, he had made 187 senior professional appearances.
As a coach, Charlie cut his teeth at Gloucester Rugby Junior Academy as forwards coach before joining Cheltenham Tigers Women’s in 2017/18 and then becoming forwards and defence coach with Jersey Royals.
In 2021/22, Beckett returned to Cheltenham Tigers as 2nd XV head coach, helping them win promotion and the following year, he was lead defence coach as Tigers’ 1st XV won the 2022/23 Women’s Championship.
Charlie said: “I’ve known Tom [Hudson] for a long time. We’ve played together and coached together, we’re close friends and I’m really excited to have the chance to work with him again at a club with so much talent and potential.
“I’m also really looking forward to coming home to the north and taking on this amazing opportunity. I’m passionate about women’s rugby in the north and after speaking to Katy [Daley-McLean] and Michelle Orange it was impossible not to get excited about what we can achieve.
“I really believe there is so much quality in this squad and we’re putting together a brilliant coaching team that can bring success.”
Katy said: “The Becketts are a powerhouse family in northern women’s rugby so Charlie understands the landscape and the environment that we’re working in up here and he shares our passion for creating something that girls can aspire to.
“That’s huge when we’re trying to push the players and build a culture where they believe that we will get to where we want to get to.
“He leads by example and he has an excellent eye for detail. As a player and a coach he has always loved the gritty side of the game, which is maybe something we’ve lacked this season.
“Charlie was involved in the Sharks DPP as a teenager with Tom Hudson so that relationship with the club and with each other goes back a long way. I can’t wait to see them working together.”
