Five Midlands players named in Ireland squad for WXV training camp

Athlone's Anna McGann is one of five players from the wider Midlands area to be named among a 36-player Ireland women's rugby training squad ahead of the upcoming WXV Global series.

The Moydrum native is joined by Ballinasloe's Beibhinn Parsons and Aoibheann O'Reilly from nearby Creagh, along with Offaly's Aoife Dalton and Roscommon player, Jemima Adams Verling.

The WXV Global Series is an international women’s rugby union programme organised by World Rugby that features 18 national teams competing across a dedicated September-to-October window.

It replaces the previous tiered WXV tournament model and runs across a three-year cycle (2026–2028) as part of the qualification pathway for the 2029 Women's Rugby World Cup in Australia.

The squad will assemble in Dublin after this weekend’s interprovincial finals, with a five-games awaiting across September and October.

Ireland will compete in the top tier of the Global Series starting their campaign against Ireland against USA in Tallaght on Sunday, September 20, before hosting Japan at the Dexcom Stadium in Galway on September 27.

Ireland will also play Japan in Cork on Saturday, October 2, although that game is not part of the WXV competition.

Ireland resume their WXV campaign later that month when they travel to Cape Town for a two-test series with South Africa, with games on October 24-31.