Sarah Beckett

Sarah Beckett
Full nameSarah Elizabeth Beckett
Date of birth (1999-02-14) 14 February 1999 (age 25)
Place of birthLiverpool, England
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight96 kg (212 lb)
Notable relative(s)Charlie Beckett (brother)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Back row
Current team Gloucester-Hartpury
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
Lancashire ()
– North of England U18s ()
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2017–2019 Firwood Waterloo ()
2019–2022 Harlequins ()
2022- Gloucester-Hartpury ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2018 England U20s
2018– England 34 (20)

Sarah Elizabeth Beckett (born 14 February 1999) is a professional English rugby union player. She represents England women's national rugby union team internationally and plays for Gloucester-Hartpury at club level.[1]

International career

Beckett made her England debut in November 2018, starting in an 57–5 victory of USA Women. She featured in every game as England won the 2019 Women's Six Nations Championship Grand Slam.[1][2][3]

She played in all Autumn Internationals and 2020 Women's Six Nations matches.[4]

Club career

Beckett made her debut in the Premier 15s for Waterloo Ladies aged 18. The club was renamed Firwood Waterloo Ladies Rugby Football Club for sponsorship reasons. She won the Gill Burns' Ladies Championship with Firwood in the 2016/17 season.[1] In the same season, she also won the Gill Burns' Ladies County Championship as captain of the Lancashire and North of England U18 team.[5]

As the only professional rugby player at Firwood, she moved to Harlequins Women in 2019 in a bid to help her retain professional standards.[6]

Early life and education

Sarah has a twin sister called Kate who didn't play rugby until she attended Leicester University. Their older brother Charlie Beckett is professional a rugby union player. Aged 8 Sarah tried to tackle her older brother but broke her arm.[7] Her father, uncle and grandfather all played rugby for Waterloo.[8]

Sarah attended Range High School in Formby, Merseyside, where former England and Waterloo captain Gill Burns was her head of house.[5] She joined Waterloo RFC aged seven. Beckett completed the U20s trials twice for England and didn't make the squad but eventually made it after Matt Ferguson, the then England forwards coach, saw her playing for Firwood at age 18.[9]

After a gap year spent teaching PE at primary schools, she went on to study international disaster management at university but left after ten weeks as her rugby training for England interfered with her studies. She also plays guitar.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Sarah Beckett". englandrugby.com. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Harlequins Women sign England Number Eight Sarah Beckett". quins.co.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  3. ^ Heal, Chris (15 March 2019). "Sarah Beckett". Talking Rugby Union. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  4. ^ Cartwright, Elizabeth (15 February 2021). "Who could guide the Red Roses to World Cup glory". Last Word on Rugby. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Sarah Beckett". ultimaterugby.com.
  6. ^ a b "Sarah Beckett on Harlequins, England and the World Cup". rugbyworld.com.
  7. ^ "Sarah and Charlie Beckett interview: 'She is a better rugby player than me - I can't say how proud I am'". telegraph.co.uk.
  8. ^ Rowan, Kate (10 October 2020). "Sarah and Charlie Beckett interview: 'She is a better rugby player than me - I can't say how proud I am'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  9. ^ "Sarah Beckett on Harlequins, England and the World Cup". Rugby World. 18 September 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2021.