Charlie Beckett Interview: "To be a very small part of this explosion of women’s sport is amazing”
Charlie Beckett's roots are in the North-West and he is excited by what Sale Sharks Women can achieve
©Sale Sharks
This weekend marks the return of Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR).
And ex-professional player Charlie Beckett - now Defence Coach at Sale Sharks Women and co-founder of the Women’s Rugby Road Map - is relishing every second of being back “home” in the North-West as he continues to develop his coaching career.
When the chance to join Sale arose earlier this year, Beckett says being able to work with head coach Tom Hudson again was a major influence, alongside his desire to contribute to rugby in the region.
“When the opportunity came up North to work with Tom again, who I know and I’m passionate about working with, it was a great opportunity for me that I couldn’t turn down,” Beckett tells TRU.
“I’m very passionate about rugby in the North-West of England and it was the kick start of a project.
“Obviously, everyone can see where Sale have been and why they needed to make changes. I think everyone knows the ambition we have as a club so to be part of that project was an opportunity I couldn’t really pass on.”
In February 2025, Sale confirmed that Hudson - also a former player and Beckett’s best friend - would become head coach at the Morson Stadium.
The pair played together at clubs such as Gloucester and Ampthill, and they also worked in tandem when they coached current Women's Championship North 1 side Cheltenham Tigers.
“I’ve known Tom for 14 years now,” Beckett adds. “We’ve played together at three clubs but this is the second club we’ve coached together after coaching a lot at Cheltenham.
“Having your best mate as your boss is brilliant. There are challenges to it, obviously!
“It’s something we’ve always wanted to do, though. When he got offered the job to be head coach and he rang me about it, it was really exciting and he asked if I’d be interested in coming as well. It was a bit of a no-brainer to take the leap.”
The transition hasn’t been without challenges.
Beckett continues to live in Cheltenham, resulting in plenty of travel, but he says support at home has made the move possible.
“It’s a challenge because I still live in Cheltenham with my partner,” he says. “From a personal point of view, there’s a lot of travelling but my partner, Beanie, is amazing and so supportive.
“It’s so great to be back. Manchester isn’t home, Liverpool is but the North-West is home so it’s great to be back there. [Firwood] Waterloo was my club growing up and it was a massive women’s rugby club, so women’s rugby has always been on my radar.
“As a kid, it was always the norm to watch women’s rugby. Sarah (Charlie’s sister - who plays for PWR champions Gloucester-Hartpury) came through Waterloo and the North-West so I’m very passionate about showing that there’s a pathway for girls in the North-West. At the moment, it’s the only club in the north.
“For the whole of the north, there’s a pathway for girls who don’t have to come down to a Hartpury, a Loughborough, a Brunel to have a pathway to play professional rugby. They can do it in the North of England.”
Since Beckett and Hudson took the reins, Sale have undergone significant change, including a major recruitment drive.
International stars such as Rhona Lloyd and World Cup winners Amy Cokayne and Holly Aitchison now don the Sharks colours, and Beckett believes the club’s environment and ambition are key reasons for attracting such talent.
“The recruitment was obviously a big thing,” he says. “We can’t pretend we haven’t had a lot of turnover this season. I think it’s testament to the off-field stuff that Sale already had in place.
“We train at Carrington, which is a state-of-the-art training facility. Michelle and Simon [Orange], the owners, are brilliant and are so passionate about the women’s team. Everyone knows what a great off-field environment the club has created.
“We have a good relationship with the players, and it seems players were excited to come and work at the club. You sell the project, but it’s never easy.
“We wanted to bring in not only international players but also players who felt they hadn’t really had the opportunity to show us what good Premiership players they could be.
“I think the thing for us which is so pleasing is seeing players who have already been at Sale in previous seasons doing so well as well.”
The Sharks began the PWR campaign with a 46-17 win over Leicester Tigers Women in front of a sell-out crowd at the Morson Stadium.
The feel-good factor from the Red Roses lifting the Rugby World Cup had clearly reached the North-West, with the PWR later reporting that attendances were up by 183 per cent in Round One compared to the opening round of the 2024/25 season.
“I feel so fortunate to be working in women’s rugby, working in England at this moment in time,” Beckett says. “I was at the World Cup final and I was incredibly emotional.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to work in women’s rugby for a long time now.
“I grew up watching women’s rugby and it was never weird to me. I remember watching my sister Sarah play for England back in 2019, and we were over the moon when we got 5,000 at Goldington Road at Bedford.
“Now you fast forward to six years later, we’ve sold out Allianz Stadium with over 82,000 fans watching the game.
“You look at the PWR, and the average attendances are over 1,000 at each game which wasn’t happening last season and that’s with every game being televised.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that some of the best players in the world want to play for this league. There’s an influx of Black Ferns this year [players such as Ruahei Demant joining Bristol Bears].
“I feel extremely fortunate just as a person to be working in this, and to be a very small part of this explosion of women’s sport is amazing.
“From a coaching point of view, I’m still very young and to be a defence coach in the best women’s league in the world is an unbelievable challenge but an unbelievable privilege.
“Every week, I must get my defence right to compete against the best teams in the world. I work hard and have sleepless nights how I’m going to defend these people! I have the coolest job in the world.”
Beckett will have been tasked with trying to shut down the attack of Exeter Chiefs this week, with the third-placed side visiting the Morson Stadium on Saturday.
As for Sale, they sit sixth with one win from four, but importantly have taken points from every fixture.
“We’ve had the challenge of integrating World Cup players, but we were really pleased with that five-point win at home against Leicester,” Beckett says.
“Then obviously Loughborough [their Round Two 19-12 loss], we couldn’t score. However, we were over the moon with the resilience of the team to score in the 82nd minute and for Holly to kick a conversion to get a point.
“Ealing [a 64-22 home defeat] was a very tough day. We were very poor and they were very good.
“I was pleased that we got four tries and got a point and then Gloucester away [a 40-24 loss] is hard, but our attack was the best it’s looked. Our game management probably wasn’t at its best, but to get a point away at Gloucester is good.
“Overall, I think we’ve been good but not brilliant. The fact that we’ve taken points from every game is pleasing. We’re in a good place, but the important thing is we need to get better.
“The players are desperate to improve and get better and as a coach, that’s all you can ask for. We have a lot of fun at work - we tell our staff and players if you want to work hard and have a lot of fun, you’ll be alright at Sale Sharks.”
