Mike Beckham (born 22 May 1970, in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

) is a

Cook Islands The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately . The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers of ocean. Avarua is its ...

former international

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

player for

Glasgow Warriors The 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 beca ...

at the Loosehead Prop position. He was signed by

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

, 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

. 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 Investec 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 is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

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 Int ...

of that year against

Caledonia Reds Caledonia Reds were a Scottish rugby union team. They participated in two seasons of the Heineken Cup. They evolved from one of the traditional four amateur districts of Scotland, North and Midlands, in 1996. Their home games were shared betwe ...

. 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 (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

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 2 North. The club was founded as Headingley FC, but renamed in 1991 when ...

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 New Zealand expatriate rugby union players in Scotland Rugby union props Rugby union players from Auckland New Zealand expatriate rugby union players in England Cook Island expatriate rugby union players