Sale Sharks Women’s Tysh Harper believes that rugby union’s inaugural women’s rugby board is “one step forward” for the sport’s growth, but could also help its northern development.
Last month, Tysh Harper was named as the Sale Sharks representative on the Rugby Players’ Association’s first women’s rugby board, which will be chaired by Trailfinders’ Abi Burton.
This comes after the RPA voted in favour of establishing separate men’s and women’s rugby boards, in the aim of providing more tailored player-representation and support.
“Although it is the same sport, women’s rugby faces different challenges,” said Harper. “We’ve got a lot of dual athletes, and a lot of clubs aren’t full-time. We have to address different issues. If we just use the men’s answers and what they come up with, it’s very different because their game has already grown, they’ve already got funding, they’re already fully established, whereas we’re just kind of on our way there.”
Following a record-breaking Women’s World Cup this summer, detaching women’s rugby union from its male counterparts could allow the board to discuss a potential northern expansion.
“It’s hard because the pathway that we’ve got in the north is definitely growing, and we’re doing a great job at growing it,” said Harper. “But I think in the south, because they started so much earlier, we’ve kind of been left behind. We’re kind of playing catch-up. And I hope in a few years we can bring another [northern] team in because it seems only right.”
Founded in 2020, Sale Sharks Women’s team is the only northern club currently in the Premiership Women’s Rugby, following the loss of Newcastle-based Darlington Mowden Park Sharks in 2023. Northern predecessors, Liverpool’s Firwood Waterloo, lost their place in the league in 2020.
Salford-born Detysha ‘Tysh’ Harper said: “There are a lot of people developing here. When you go out to do coaching at schools and stuff, it’s sad to see that Sale’s the only team that they can come to.”
Harper started her rugby career at Firwood Waterloo after spending her developmental years at Eccles RFC. But to move forward, Harper felt she needed to move south and joined Loughborough Lightning in 2019 while at university.
“I didn’t want to move there,” said Harper. “But I felt like that was the only choice I had if I wanted to take it more seriously.”
After suffering a big injury, Harper moved closer to home to join Sale Sharks in 2023. The club has had a tricky first few years in the Premiership, finishing bottom of the league in the last two seasons.
“It was probably the best thing I could have done,” said Harper. “It’s taken some time to get the team where we’re at now, but I didn’t want to move here when it was fully established. I wanted to be here to be part of the change. And I think we’re seeing that change now with the names that are coming in and how we’re playing and performing.”
This season has seen progress for Sale, who are currently seventh in the table, with personnel reinforcements brought in over the summer and winter holidays. Red Roses Amy Cockayne and Holly Aitchison joined in the summer, and Canadian international Asia Hogan-Rochester signed in December.
“This season it’s all about just developing and gelling as a new team […], finding that cohesion within the team and seeing what we’re the best at and how we can develop together.”
Next in the PWR, Sale Sharks will be hosting three-times champions Gloucester-Hartpury this Saturday at Morson Stadium.