Sale Sharks Women have agreed a deal to sign Scotland international prop Leah Bartlett ahead of the 2025/26 PWR season.
The 26-year-old loosehead made her breakthrough at Loughborough Lightning, making 56 appearances after appearing in the club’s first ever fixture in 2017.
She moved to Leicester Tigers Women in 2023 before following new Sharks Head Coach Tom Hudson and Scrum Coach Luke Stratford in making the move to Sale.
On the international front, Leah qualifies for Scotland through her parents – her mum was born on Lewis and her dad is from just outside Inverness – and in January 2020, she received her first call-up to the Scotland national team.
She made a memorable debut against Spain, marking the occasion with a try. Since then Leah has gone on to feature in multiple Six Nations, the Rugby World Cup 2021 (played in 2022) and both iterations of the WXV2 competition.
In 2022, Leah was part of the cohort of 28 Scotland players who received a full-time professional contract, the first group to do so.
Leah said: “I loved working with Tom and Luke at Leicester and knowing that they were both moving to Sale was a big factor.
“I also played with Katy Daley-Mclean at Loughborough and I know that between them all they will create a brilliant environment with a real family feel.
“This is a great opportunity for me to grow and develop my game and with the investment and commitment that the club has for the women’s side, I think we can achieve big things.”
Sharks Head Coach Tom Hudson said: “Leah was with me for two years at Leicester and I loved working with her.
“She’s a fantastic player with a good set-piece and a brilliant skillset, but she is a bit like a coach too. She helps drive the right culture on and off the field and I can’t wait to get her here after what we hope will be a really successful World Cup with Scotland.”
