Rooted in PWR: Tysh Harper

Tysh Harper is not just rooted in PWR – she is rooted in the streets of Salford.

The 26-year-old prop was born and bred in the city, which will hosts four matches at the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025.

She took her first steps in rugby at local club Eccles and, since 2023, has been back where she belongs at Sale Sharks.

Harper has fond recollections of her very first session, when she turned up at Eccles aged 15 having grown up seeing her brothers play both union and league.

Her own experience was limited at that stage – but that didn’t stop her throwing herself into it.

“My very first rugby session, it was raining cats and dogs,” she said. “It was so muddy and we were doing full contact. I turned up and thought ‘alright’, and got stuck in.

“My coach said I took to it like a duck to water, which was really nice.

“Growing up in Salford was just one big community. If something is going on, everyone wants to join in and help, which was really nice to be part of.

“Eccles as a club is everything you think about when you imagine a rugby club. Having a club like that is good for the community and local area, especially for young girls.

“When I started, the youngest team was under-13s and they only had about five in there, whereas when I go back now, they have minis with loads of young girls. It shows how much women’s sport has evolved over the years.

“When I was growing up, I didn’t really have anyone to inspire me, it was my brothers, but now to be a female athlete who can inspire others is really important. Younger me would have wanted that.”

Harper’s rise was rapid. Coaches at Eccles noted her natural talent and Harper, who played almost everywhere in the pack before settling in the front row, later made her PWR bow for Firwood Waterloo before playing at Loughborough Lightning while studying at the town’s university.

It did not take long for the Red Roses to notice her star on the rise and she made her England debut in February 2020.

“It was a rollercoaster,” she said. “On the Wednesday, I was playing Uni rugby, then on the Saturday, I was winning my first cap.

“It was crazy going from Uni rugby at Loughborough to England within a few days.”

After becoming a dual Six Nations winner, Harper was called into the Red Roses World Cup squad for the delayed 2021 tournament as injury cover for Laura Keates.

She missed out on selection for this summer’s competition on home soil but will be using that as fuel to get back in amongst the international game as well as setting her sights on helping Sale climb the table.

“In the England camps, a lot of us did come from the north originally but had to move away because there were no teams,” she said.

“When I found out Sale were having a women’s team in the Prem, I had a realisation coming to the end of Uni that there was an opportunity to go home.

“When I finally came home, it was weird as I was like ‘I’m not visiting anymore, I’m staying’. It was exciting, I had this buzzing feeling because I was seeing my friends and family.

“It reminded me of the reasons I started rugby. I often do that because I always forget how far I’ve come and what a journey I have been on.

“If I think ‘oh, I hate rugby’ – and sometimes that happens – I always think back to why I started, what I enjoy about it, and take myself back on that memory lane.

Her family are never far away from those thoughts – and Harper has one particular fan she always listens out for.

“One of my biggest supporters is my nana – she is great,” she said.

“She comes to all my games, sits in the crowd and you can hear her from a mile away – she doesn’t stop shouting!”

Now embracing her status as a role model for young girls coming into the sport, Harper has a simple motto.

“When people read about me, I want them to understand rugby is for everyone,” she said.

“You can be yourself and have fun while also being focused. It is about tuning in during the moments you need to tune in.”