Athlone's McGann named in Ireland squad for WXV Series opener

Athlone's Anna McGann is one of four players from the wider Midlands area to be named in the Ireland women's rugby matchday squad for Sunday’s Vodafone Ireland WXV Series opener against USA at Tallaght Stadium, kick-off,1.45pm.

The Moydrum native is included in the list of replacements alongside Aoibheann O'Reilly from Creagh, Ballinasloe with Roscommon player, Jemima Adams Verling, set to win her first senior international cap. Clara's Aoife Dalton has also been included in the starting line-up by head coach, Scott Bemand.

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.

Ireland will compete in the top tier of the Global Series starting their campaign against USA on Sunday, 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.