Women’s Six Nations 2026: Ireland’s Eve Higgins and Anna McGann on TikToks, friendship and the Six Nations

McGann wasn’t always as confident as her TikTok persona suggests and credits Higgins for helping her come out of her shell.

The two first met at an Ireland sevens camp in Dublin when they were 16, and have remained friends during their rise from playing in the sevens category at the Olympics in 2024 to representing the 15s team at last year’s World Cup and various editions of the Six Nations.

“The first time I met Anna was at a sevens camp at DCU,” Higgins recalls [Dublin City University]There was a girl on the side of the court who didn’t say much. She didn’t really speak until our first invitation in Dubai and then I was like, ‘Who is this?’

“I was very shy. I think Eve and the girls were very good and that was why I came out of my shell and was very comfortable, and that didn’t happen until I was 21-22,” McGann explained.

“They helped me shape the person I am now and be more comfortable being myself.”

Because they were so close, Higgins said they never had a falling out, even though they shared a room together during the Ireland camps.

“Eve and I lived together for five weeks at the World Cup and somehow we never got tired of each other,” McGann added.

“We’ll know if we need to give each other space. That’s our best thing. We’ve known each other a long time and we’ve grown,” Higgins said.

Both players have made the transition from sevens rugby to 15s rugby along with countless other players in Scott Beamand’s current squad.

Higgins believes this was the case for many because it was the only real path available for players of her generation to play in a professional environment.

“Mostly because there were no regional women’s teams. Sevens was an opportunity for women’s rugby players to train every week.

“Fortunately there is now a women’s programme, so there are 15s and sevens but at the time only seven players were contracted to train week in week out. This was the way for us to play semi-professional rugby.”