'I really want to bring my child up as a northerner': Stratford to exit Gloucester Hartpury

Women’s Rugby World Cup winning England Red Roses captain Zoe Stratford OBE, will join Sale Sharks ahead of the 2026/27 Premiership Women’s Rugby season.

The 29-year-old, three-time PWR winner with Gloucester Hartpury, is currently taking a break from rugby after she announced her pregnancy with Sale Sharks assistant coach, Luke.

She is the second current England international to commit their future to Sale. Last week it was announced that Tatyana Heard was swapping Gloucester Hartpury for the ambitious North West side.

Winner of the 2021 World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year, Stratford has won 69 caps for the Red Roses and captained the side to Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 final glory against Canada in front of a world record crowd at Allianz Stadium last September.

Stratford said: “I feel ready to take the next step in my career and, being pregnant, I really want to bring my child up as a northerner. I haven’t played competitive rugby in the north since I was 15 or 16, and so coming back and playing up in the north is something that I’m super passionate about.

“Luke absolutely loves it at Sale. He loves the whole vibe of the club, he loves Michelle’s [Orange, club owner] ethos around the place, how much she drives the standards, and how passionate she is about the women’s side especially.

“It’s been brilliant to see how much investment Sale have put into the women’s team and it’s something I can’t wait to be a part of.

“I can see in that Sale team that they want to play for each other and you can tell they have a good time off the pitch as well. They have a real camaraderie and it’s exciting to join a club that holds that in such a high regard.

“I’ve enjoyed success at Gloucester and with England and hopefully I can bring that experience of winning and help build that belief into the team because I’ve got no doubt we can achieve big things.”

Stratford was born in Scarborough and began her rugby in North Yorkshire before going to West Park Leeds and then Hartpury College. After she made her name in the English top flight with Darlington Mowden Park, during which time she got her first England cap, she moved to Gloucester Hartpury, where she has been a part of the furniture ever since.

For the past three years the West Country side have won PWR and are on track to do so again. Ahead of the Guinness Women’s Six Nations break, Dan Murphy’s side had already secured a home semi-final and have picked up try-scoring bonus point wins in all 14 of their fixtures.

Sale Sharks Head Coach Tom Hudson said: “When I joined the club just over 12 months ago I spoke with Michelle and Katy [Daly-McLean] about the objective of this project being to build a truly elite and world class rugby environment here in the north of England. We have made great progress this season but we must keep improving and keep moving forward.

“I think it is a real statement of intent from us as a club and testament to what we are building that Zoe, a former world player of the year and the Red Roses World Cup winning captain, wants to join us while she is still in the prime of her career.”