McGann's international rugby career continues to sparkle
Westmeath Independent Community & Sports Awards in association with Westmeath County Council
Outstanding Achievement of the Year finalist: Anna McGann
Having made her debut for Ireland in the Women's Six Nations in March 2022, Athlone's Anna McGann has remained an influential presence at senior rugby international level for her country.
The Moydrum native made her first start for Ireland against Italy in the 2023 Women's Six Nations and it was against the same opposition earlier this year that she enjoyed her best performance in the green jersey. Parma will be a city which will forever hold fond memories for the winger as McGann, displaying her attacking prowess, scored a hat-trick of tries in Ireland's Six Nations 51-24 defeat of their Italian counterparts.
McGann went over for two tries during the first half and grabbed a third in injury time of the contest as Ireland win their first away Six Nations fixture since 2021.
One of the three tries scored by McGann in that victory in Italy was awarded Women's 'Try of the Year' at the Rugby Players Ireland Awards held at the Aviva Stadium in May.
McGann's Six Nations form earned her a place in Ireland's World Cup squad, her place firmly cemented at the global tournament when she scored a brace of tries in the country's final warm-up game against Canada.
Having been named as a replacement in Ireland's opening World Cup Pool C fixture victory over Japan, McGann made her full tournament debut against Spain and scored two tries as Ireland sealed a place in the quarter-final stages of the competition.
McGann also featured as a second half replacement in Ireland's final Pool C fixture defeat to New Zealand. A bitterly disappointing quarter-final loss to France ended the nation's World Cup aspirations.
Anna has also donned the green jersey as a member of the Ireland Sevens team and was part of the squad which qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. In June 2023, during the European Championships in the Algarve, she tore her anterior cruciate ligament, causing her to miss out on selection for the Olympics.
Since returning from her injury-enforced hiatus, McGann's international rugby career continues to grow with further recognition for Ireland looking very likely in the future.
The Outstanding Achievement of the Year finalists are Anna McGann, Roisin Molloy and Kayleigh Shine.
The Outstanding Achievement of the Year award is sponsored by DPD