Sale Sharks Women have announced the signing of England Sevens player Jodie Ounsley ahead of their first season in the Tyrells Premier 15s.
Jodie Ounsley has previously played for Sandal RUFC, Loughborough College and Yorkshire County, and more recently gained Premier 15s experience with Loughborough Lightning.
Ounsley has represented her country at the HSBC World Rugby 7s competitions and has been pivotal in England’s progression through the World Rugby Series.
Speaking on signing for Sale, the 19-year-old was pleased to be able to represent a local club and is looking forward to being a part of the Sharks’ plans and ambitions.
Ounsley said: “I’m proud to be joining Sale Sharks, as a northern girl I have wanted to be part of my local Premiership club for a long time and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to make that dream a reality.
“After visiting the Sharks’ training centre in Carrington, it’s clear that Sale are extremely ambitious, have an amazing professional program and some exciting plans to develop women’s rugby in the North West too.
“I really can’t wait to play my small part in the new squad and pull on that Sharks shirt for the first time.”
Head coach of Sale Sharks Women, Darren Lamon, added: ““It’s fantastic to welcome Jodie to Sale Sharks, I feel it’s a great opportunity for the club to add a player of Jodie’s calibre to our ranks.
“She will bring a wealth of experience from across the women’s game, and it’s a great opportunity to develop her skillset further in the 15-a-side game.”
Ounsley is the latest international to come to the AJ Bell and now brings the squad number up to 33, and Lamon is pleased with the potential that his side has. However, the head coach did add that he is still looking to bring more players to the club, ahead of their maiden season in the Premier 15s.
Lamon said: ““I believe we have already signed a healthy blend of young exciting players, along with some additional quality and experience from further afield but we need real strength in depth to properly compete at the top level so our recruitment drive will not stop here.
“We are still looking to add more depth to our squad in a number of key areas over the next month. The squad are an ambitious group and I firmly believe we have all the tools we need to achieve success when we start our training programme ahead of what is going to be a really exciting first season for us.”
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