Sale Sharks are delighted to announce the return of Mark Cueto with the former England winger taking on the role of assistant coach for the club’s women’s team.
Cueto, 44, spent his entire playing career with Sale after working his way through the Sharks academy and making his professional debut against Bristol in 2001.
He went on to make a record 303 appearances for the club, scoring 118 tries in all competitions and when he retired in 2015, his 90 Premiership tries put him, at the time, at the top of the league’s all-time top scorers list.
On the international scene, Mark made his England debut in 2004 and went on to score 20 tries in 55 caps. He also played for the British and Irish Lions on the 2005 tour of New Zealand.
Earlier this season he was inducted into the Sale Sharks Hall of Fame.
Mark said: “During my playing career, I never aspired to be a coach. But I’ve been out of the game ten years now and it’s only since having kids and watching them start to play rugby that I’ve realised how much I might actually be able to offer to the game.
“When Pete Anglesea started working with the women’s team before Christmas, I offered to go down and watch them train and see if I could give any advice or see anything that could help.
“I just felt alive again and I was genuinely surprised at how passionate I was. I loved being around the players and being back in that environment and I could see how much I could help them on and off the pitch. There’s so much potential here and I’m so excited to see what we can achieve.
“I’ve been involved in this club for so long and it means the world to me. I know how much the owners care about the women’s team and making it a success, and I’m desperate to help in any way I can.”
Sharks Women’s Performance Lead Katy Daley-Mclean said: “Mark has played at the very top level for Sale, England and the British and Irish Lions and I know that level of skill and experience will be massive for our players, particularly our back-three.
“If you’re a winger and Mark tells you to change your line or the way you look at the game, you’re going to listen.
“But he’s got so much to offer right across our squad, on and off the pitch. He’s Sale Sharks through and through and he’ll be a great character to have around.”
Mark joins Head Coach Tom Hudson and assistants Charlie Beckett, Luke Stratford and Pete Anglesea in the Sale Sharks Women’s coaching group for the 2025/26 season and beyond.
Katy added: “The resource put into this coaching group by the club is amazing. To have this level of support and the chance to bring this calibre of coaches in is brilliant.
“Rachel Taylor, Louise Dalgliesh and the coaches who have come before have laid a fantastic foundation and we’re forever grateful to them for the work they put in to get this women’s team off the ground.
“Now to be able to attract this kind of talent to take us on to the next level is great and I’m so excited to be able to head up this programme and see where we can take it.”
