Mike Beckham (born 22 May 1970, in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

) is a

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

former international

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player for

Glasgow Warriors Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and became t ...

at the Loosehead Prop position. He was signed by

Kevin Greene Kevin Darwin Greene (July 31, 1962December 21, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end and linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers, and San Francisco 49ers of the Nation ...

, the Glasgow coach, in 1997. Previously the time Beckham had a 9 to 5 job and was playing rugby for the New Zealand Army team. He was capped internationally by the

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

. He said of the move: "I came here to get a taste of European rugby. The opportunity came through Kevin Greene. I enjoyed the game against West Hartlepool at the weekend, despite a calf strain, and it was good to learn about the style of play. At home we have more short phases, we attack from anywhere and we bring it back to the pack when there is no way through." As well as pre-season friendlies against West Hartlepool, Caledonia Reds and Brumbies, he played 4 times in the

Heineken Cup The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Heineken Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pre ...

for

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

in the 1997–98 season. He also played in the

Scottish Inter-District Championship The Scottish Inter-District Championship is a rugby union competition between regional sides in Scotland. Established in 1953, the tournament went through several formats. The Scottish Rugby Union confirmed in January 2023 that the Scottish In ...

of that year against

Caledonia Reds Caledonia Reds were a Scottish rugby union professional district team who participated in the Scottish Inter-District Championship and in two seasons of the Heineken Cup. They evolved from one of the traditional four amateur districts of Scotland ...

. When not playing for the provincial Warriors side, Beckham played for the amateur side

Glasgow Hawks Glasgow Hawks is an amateur rugby union team in Glasgow, Scotland. They were Premiership Division One champions for three consecutive seasons from 2003–04 to 2005–06. History In Paris on 27 August 1995 a meeting of the International Rugby ...

. He scored a try for the Hawks side that beat

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...

37–15 on 20 February 1998. He was also part of the Hawks side that won the Scottish Cup and the then Scottish Division 2. He signed for

Leeds Tykes Leeds Tykes (formerly Leeds RUFC, Leeds Carnegie and Yorkshire Carnegie) is an English rugby union club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, playing in the National League 1. The club was founded as Headingley FC, but renamed in 1991 when it j ...

in 1998 the following season. Beckham now works in logistics & operations and project management in New Zealand.

References

External links

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Statbunker profileGlasgow against Sale Sharks
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beckham, Mike Living people Cook Island rugby union players Glasgow Hawks players Glasgow Warriors players New Zealand sportspeople of Cook Island descent Leeds Tykes players Cook Islands international rugby union players 1970 births Expatriate rugby union players in Scotland New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in Scotland Rugby union props Rugby union players from Auckland