Ireland rugby stars Linda Djougang and Anna McGann: "We want to see more girls taking on rugby, especially with the World Cup being on"

Not so long ago the Sport Ireland Campus in Blanchardstown was an empty tract of fields. Now, it’s a pristine expanse of astro-turf ambition. There’s a pitch for every pastime here, from camogie to cricket.

But this is the summer of women’s rugby. Squad members are buzzing around the IRFU’s High Performance centre in full kit, greeting the press ahead of their World Cup campaign this month.

“Walking through this corridor and looking at the picture of us qualifying in Belfast – it’s been a journey,” reflects experienced prop Linda Djougang.

“It’s been building for a while, especially because last time we didn’t qualify,” adds teammate and dynamic back Anna McGann.

“It’s extra special. To have it in England makes it as close to a home World Cup as you’ll get.”

The atmosphere inside the camp is relaxed yet focused.

“There’s good craic but we can be serious when we have to,” as McGann puts it. “We respect each other off the pitch, which makes us more cohesive on it. We know we’re putting our bodies on the line for each other.”

Djougang’s story began a continent away. Born in Cameroon, she moved to Ireland when she was nine.

“Rugby wasn’t really a thing where I’m from,” she says, laughing as she rattles off soccer legends like Samuel Eto’o and Roger Milla, and expresses an admiration for Cameroon’s iconic jerseys (seriously, check out 2002’s vest and 2004’s clawmark).

“Green is my favourite colour, and it followed me here,” she grins

Djougang found rugby after signing up for a tag session in college, without really knowing what it was.

“I ended up googling it. I remember seeing pics of Brian O’Driscoll. I was like, ‘You have to pass the ball backwards? What is the shape of that ball?’

“I never knew it would open this door of opportunity. I tell myself every day that I’m proud of that little girl who took that risk and was able to find a sport that suited me perfectly.”

McGann’s journey wasn’t exactly linear either.

”I wanted to make the Irish hockey team,” she shares. “My dad suggested I go down to the local rugby club so I’d have an edge over the other girls. He thought it’d make me fitter, faster and stronger.

“I went and trained for about six months. Then I got scouted for the Sevens squad and went to an under-18s tournament. I had no idea what I was doing. I had barely played rugby. Two weeks later I was offered a professional contract.

“In two months I went from wanting to be on the Irish hockey team to thinking ‘Oh My God, I’m on the Irish women’s rugby team.’’

22 March 2025; Anna McGann of Ireland during the Women's Six Nations Rugby Championship match between Ireland and France at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Rugby brought a sense of belonging for both athletes.

“There’s so much to it,” McGann says, elaborating on her love for the game. “Your teammates become your family and the camaraderie is something I haven’t experienced in any other sport.”

“When I entered into sports, it was the first time I was judged on my body and how I look,” Djougang shares. “I grew up in a football culture. I tried to go to the local team but they said I was too strong. It was the first time I got really self-conscious of my body and my strength.

“When I joined Wanderers and started tackling people, they were like, ‘Do it again! Do it again!’ It was the first time I felt accepted, after being told so many times that my body didn’t fit in the margins. My strength became my strength. I was able to own it.”

An ambassador for the World Cup’s ‘Strong Bodies, Strong Minds’ campaign, Djougang touches on the importance of body positivity.

“Being able to be confident in who you are is very empowering,” she says. “We want to see more girls taking on rugby, especially with the World Cup being on. They are able to see us being confident in our own skin and actually showcasing our talent. There’s players that look like them and inspire them.”

McGann echoes the value of visibility.

“It’s huge for young girls to have role models in sport,” she says.“I think it is a case of ‘If you can’t see, you can’t be.’

“When I look back, it was always the men that would be role models because you wouldn’t see many females. It hit home when I became an Irish rugby player that I have a duty to be a role model to the younger girls.

“Even after games, the amount of young girls looking for your autograph – win or lose – is amazing. We got beaten by England and they couldn’t care less, they were just so excited to see us.”

Professionalisation also helps to grow the game. The IRFU currently offers 37 centralised contracts to players across Ireland Women’s rugby 15s and Sevens, with salaries said to range from €15,000 to €30,000

“The pay is still getting there I guess,” McGann says. “You are a full-time pro, but the pay is more part-time. Which is hard, especially for the girls living in Dublin. You need to have something outside of rugby.”

For McGann, that’s her jewellery business. For Djougang, it’s nursing. The duality of careers adds perspective.

“One of my great mentors taught me, to be a good rugby player you have to be a good person first,” Djougang says. “Whatever happens on the pitch, you have to be a good person.

“The minute you cross that line, you’re no longer that nurse,” she adds, almost by way of correction. “I’m a rugby player. It’s a mindset.”

Last spring, their Six Nations campaign started brightly before sputtering out, something the players haven’t forgotten.

“I think that we look back and were quite disappointed that we didn’t finish on the high that we started on,” says Djougang. “It’s a good thing, because we see that there’s some learning to be done. We have an opportunity to rectify the wrongs.”

30 July 2025; Nancy McGillivray during an Ireland Women Rugby squad training session at the IRFU High Performance Centre in Dublin. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

McGann’s highlight came in the form of a hattrick against Italy. Though she’s quick to heap the credit on her teammates, it was nonetheless a moment of personal triumph after so many setbacks.

Her father, instrumental in making her fall in love with sport, passed away in 2023. On the pitch, meanwhile, McGann suffered a horrific ACL injury, which ruled her out of the Sevens Olympic campaign last year.

“Injuries have been very prominent in my career unfortunately,” she says. “Especially my ACL. I tore it two weeks after we qualified for the Olympics. That kept me out for 11-and-a-half months.

“ACL [injuries] are not for the weak. I was very lucky with the physios, and my family and friends who helped me out.

It’s a mental obstacle as well as a physical one.

“Absolutely,” McGann nods. “That’s something that hindered me from being selected for the Olympics. I wasn’t mentally back. Going back into contact sport after rupturing your ACL, it’s a huge hill to climb.”

Both Djougang and McGann are fit and firing. The coaches have been telling them to stay present and enjoy the moment.

“Training has been going so well,” says Djougang. “Every week we’re in the zone. We’re excited, but it’s so important that we put our heads down. We know the challenge that’s ahead. But it’s about taking it all in. You never know when you’ll get that opportunity again.”

What would count as success this time around?

“Winning the World Cup,” says Djougang.

“I think you always go out to win it,” adds McGann. “You don’t go out to get to a quarter final. We have to have the belief that we can go out there and win it.”

And failure?

“Not winning the World Cup,” Djougang says without hesitation.

“That’s a hard one,” reflects McGann. “I don’t think anything would be a failure. Obviously if we lost every game, but I don’t think we will. We’ve gotten to the World Cup and have big goals. When you have the belief that you can win, it carries through the group.”

As for who they’re eager to tackle?

“All of them,” laughs Djougang. “There are so many great players. As a prop, you want to be challenged. The best team for that is England. I’m looking forward to sharing the pitch with Hannah Botterman and Sarah Bern.”

“I’d like to play New Zealand,” says McGann, who missed out on Ireland’s historic victory over the Black Ferns in Vancouver last year.

“I wanna be part of that. I think Sarah Bern from England is an unbelievable athlete. She’s just class – and does some good TikToks too!”

Ireland have plenty of stars of their own.

“Sam Monaghan is our captain and is returning from a lengthy injury. She’s a very exciting player,” McGann notes.

“We have some rockets coming through,” Djougang adds. “Aoife Dalton, Anna, Aoife Wafer. It’s inspiring to watch them at the start and see where they are now; how they’ve embraced this journey and how confident they look. I’m excited to see them shine.”

• Tickets, including Ireland’s clashes with Spain and Japan, are on general sale – available at tickets.rugbyworldcup.com. For the latest tournament updates and fixture details, visitrugbyworldcup.com/2025.