SARAHBECKETT
GLOUCESTER-HARTPURY BACK ROW
Birthplace: Liverpool
Date of birth: 14/02/99
Community club: Firwood Waterloo RFC
Red Roses debut: vs USA November 2018
Caps: 34
Why I play rugby: Because I love the game
BEING a professional female rugby player no doubt comes with its challenges and the issue of body image insecurities that are caused by social media trolls have rocked players in the Red Roses squad in recent years.
Rugby has always been a sport for all shapes and sizes. Gloucester-Hartpury back row Sarah Beckett speaks unashamedly about her 5ft 10in, 15st 2lb frame that allows her to produce powerful carries and ferocious hits which has empowered her to win the Grand Slam, Women’s Premiership and WXV1 during the last 12 months.
However, the 25-yearold, who is the sister of Ampthill forward Charlie Beckett, says she has struggled with her self esteem as a result of negative comments about her body and isn’t alone in the England squad.
Beckett told The Rugby Paper: “Rugby can have a really positive effect on people. It gave my body a purpose in terms of how it looks. It allowed me to appreciate my body more for what it does rather than how it looks. It manages to get me through 80 minutes of brutal contact week in and week out.
“I know I’m never going to be the finished article. I’m not saying that I wake up every morning and think how good is my body today? Sometimes I wake up and think, I wish I didn’t look like this or I wish this or that was better.
“Being in the elite side of the game can be really difficult in terms of people commenting on social media. I would hope that it’s the opposite effect in the grassroots game. I hope that in the grassroots game it gives players an opportunity to be appreciated. You’ve got someone like me and then you’ve got somebody like Lucy Packer who is half my size, and we still are on the same team and doing our jobs to the best of our abilities. Inclusivity of all body shapes is massive.
“If you aren’t what people would perceive a professional elite athlete to look like, then you do run into problems with people commenting on social media even though they are in no place to comment on people’s bodies. It has affected some people in the squad and has definitely affected me.”
Beckett, who began her rugby at Firwood Waterloo after watching her brother Charlie play and her father Mark coach, hopes to help guide England to a sixth consecutive Six Nations title. The Merseyside-born forward is blown away by the competition for places in John Mitchell’s squad, such is the quality of the Women’s Premiership.
She added: “It’s mental. I think we could put out three sides and still be unbelievably competitive. The calibre of players is testament to the amount of investment the RFU has shown within the pathway system. There’s a lot of good players who are going to miss out, but that just makes it more competitive and a stronger group overall. We all know that we’ve got to be at our best to wear an England shirt.”
Beckett aims to round off her season by helping unbeaten Gloucester-Hartpury retain their domestic crown at the end of what has been a tumultuous season for the champions.
“This season has been a real test of our resilience,” said Beckett. “We’ve had a lot of high profile players injured. Zoe Aldcroft got injured in the first game. We’ve been without Tatyana Heard and we’re also struggling in the back five of the scrum at the minute. The way we’ve stepped up as a team, galvanised each other and kept going every week is a credit to the coaching, the medical team and the girls.”