Higgins and McGann: Friends and Rugby Influencers
Anna McGann and Eve Higgins have been close friends since they were 16 years old. Both have played significant roles in Ireland's recent successes on the rugby field and have also gained recognition off the pitch through their popular TikTok content.
With a combined following exceeding 33,000 on TikTok, McGann and Higgins have attracted attention for their lip-sync videos, dances, and behind-the-scenes glimpses into the Ireland rugby camp during tournaments.
Although their chemistry in videos appears effortless, McGann revealed that initially it was challenging to persuade Higgins to participate in her ideas.
"At the start I'd ask Eve and she'd be like 'no' and then I eventually got her and once I got her she was hooked and here we are," McGann told the Ireland Rugby Social podcast.
"Eve will come up with hilarious ones. It was so easy when we were rooming at the World Cup together. The girls in the room beside us said all you could hear was silence and then giggles of us thinking of something!
"We'll both save things and when we see each other we'll be like 'do you want to do that one?' and it's infectious," added Higgins.
Early Friendship and Rugby Journey
Higgins and McGann first met at an Ireland sevens camp in Dublin when they were 16 years old. Their friendship has endured through their progression from playing sevens at the 2024 Paris Olympics to representing Ireland’s 15s team at the 2025 World Cup in England, as well as participating in multiple Six Nations tournaments.
McGann, who was initially shy, credits Higgins and their teammates for helping her gain confidence and come out of her shell.
"The first time I met Anna was a sevens camp at DCU [Dublin City University], there was a girl the side of the pitch not saying much. She didn't speak really until our first Dubai Invitational and then you were like 'who is this?'" Higgins joked.
"I was so shy. I think Eve and the girls were so good and a reason as to why I came out of my shell and was so comfortable and that didn't happen until I was 21-22," McGann explained.
"They helped shape me into the person I am and be more comfortable to be myself."
Despite their close relationship and sharing a room during Ireland camps, Higgins confirmed they have never had a falling out.
"Eve and I roomed together for five weeks at the World Cup and somehow we're not sick of each other," McGann said.
"We would know if we need to give each other space. That's the best thing we have. We've known each other so long and have grown," Higgins added.
Both players transitioned from sevens to 15s rugby, a path shared by many in Scott Bemand's current squad. Higgins explained this was largely due to limited opportunities for women in provincial teams at the time.
"It's mostly because there's not provincial teams for women. Sevens was an opportunity for women's rugby players to train every week.
"Thankfully now there's a women's programme, so there's 15s and sevens but at the time only seven players were contracted to train week in week out. That was the pathway for us to play semi-professional rugby."
Performance and Reflections on the Six Nations
In Ireland’s opening Six Nations match against England, McGann scored Ireland’s first try after coming off the bench, while Higgins started at centre. Despite their efforts, Ireland was defeated 33-12 in front of a record crowd of 77,120 at Allianz Stadium.
The team struggled early, trailing 21-0 at half-time. Higgins identified "uncharacteristic errors" as a significant factor in the first half.
"We created chances and pictures we knew we would see and it was frustrating that the phase before something would happen.
"Even at half-time we knew we saw pictures we were prepared for and could take, it was about doing the simple things well - placement of the ball and blasting through the ruck, things we could actually control and not let England come on top of us which they did in the first half. It was small things that let us down that were basics.
"We're happy the second half went as it did. I think you saw glimpses of what we could do."
McGann described the team’s review session following the game as "brutally honest," with coach Bemand highlighting their errors and missed opportunities.
"He showed all the errors we made and the missed opportunities. He didn't sugar coat them. We all knew, it wasn't something we didn't know and it was more frustrating that there are such simple fixes. We focused on those and once we did that it was Italy next.
"We know off the back of last week we didn't show enough and how capable we are, so we're all excited to show how good we are; when we're good, we're really good."
