Ireland bringing Twickenham positives into the west, says McGann

Scott Bemand's side take on Italy in Galway on Saturday. 

Ireland Ireland's Anna McGann scores her side's first try of the match. Pic: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

The Guinness Women’s Six Nations arrives in Galway for the first time as Ireland host Italy at Dexcom Stadium with Anna McGann delighted with the pace her team’s green wave is gathering momentum.

Connacht’s newly redeveloped grounds, complete with a new, 6,555-capacity Clan Stand will stage the first of three home games for the Irish in the 2026 championship, with a round four game in Belfast at Ulster’s Affidea Stadium preceding a landmark first standalone Women’s Test against Scotland at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.

McGann is buzzing for the rest of this Six Nations, not least a homecoming as the Athlone-born Connacht wing pitches up in Galway but also because of the positives taken away from last Saturday’s opening-round defeat to England at Twickenham.

While there is frustration that a rusty first half gifted the world champions and defending title holders a 21-0 headstart, a gutsy second-half from Ireland redressed some of the balance, the two teams drawing the final 40 minutes 12-12 with McGann coming off the bench to get her team off the mark with the first of two tries for the visitors, captain Erin King scoring the other in 33-12 loss.

The chance to make amends for the defeat is top of the priority list for Scott Bemand’s side, as she explained.

“I think we did create things, we just probably didn't finish them,” McGann said. “And there were opportunities there that we left on the pitch.

“I think rolling into next week, they are quite easy fixes and we've a home game in Dexcom which will be really exciting and we'll have the home crowd so hopefully that'll bring us up for it again.

“The Irish travel, we have to give it to them. There was some serious Irish support in the crowd there today but nothing beats a home game. So yeah, we're really looking forward to it.

“We’re absolutely buzzing for it. We knew this was going to be a really challenging one for the first one, and we really had to get up for it. But I still think it is all to play for. And we're really excited for the next few games coming, the home games and the one away in France as well.” 

Playing a part in a game which attracted a Women’s Six Nations-record crowd of 77,120 to Twickenham made McGann’s try all the more special but the wing enjoyed the whole occasion and said Ireland were getting used to increased crowds after their experience at the World Cup last autumn, with their pool match against New Zealand’s Black Ferns drawing 30,000 supporters to Brighton’s Amex Stadium.

“It was unbelievable. To be fair, I think the World Cup probably prepped us well for it. When we came into the stadium yesterday for the captain's run, we were looking at it, and it's kind of just an extra layer onto the Brighton game, an extra tier onto it.

“The World Cup prepped us. Some of the girls who played here two years ago were ready for it. We probably weren't ready for it back then, but we were definitely ready for it now. I think we embraced the crowd and we fed off the energy, and we fed off the Irish support that were there.

“I think we're now at a stage with women's rugby in Ireland, this is to be expected, and it's not just family and friends in the crowd anymore. So that's really exciting, and we can't wait to have our home games where it's just going to be a sea of green.” 

McGann has every reason to relish meeting the Italians this Saturday. She scored a hat-trick of tries in last season’s championship game in Parma, a game Ireland won 54-12, and she admitted she was disappointed not to have kicked off the 2026 campaign with a starting role. Beibhinn Parsons and Vicky Elmes Kinlan started on the wings ahead of her and McGann said: “Obviously you want to start. But they had a plan for me to come off the bench and be an impact sub, so I took that seriously, and that's what I wanted to do, and that's what I focused on.

“So, going into the next week, I'll just train away and see what happens.

“I think (the competition for places,) it's unbelievable. We've incredible wingers at the moment, and that probably shows how good our squad is at the moment, that it's so competitive in every position.

“Bei and Vicky were unbelievable today, and it's a credit to them. To be in a squad where you have Bei, Vicky, Amee-Leigh (Costigan), it's unbelievable. I love to train with them. I feed off them. The competition is really good. It's really healthy. So it's really exciting.”