‘Although we’re rivals on the pitch, we are sisters first and foremost.’
Back in 2009, brothers John (for Leinster) and Denis (Munster) Fogarty went into battle against each other in a European Cup semi final at Croke Park.
Neither of the Tipperary natives gave an inch that day but it was John that emerged the victor as Leinster went on to hoist the cup later that season.
There have been many famous sporting brothers and sisters over the decades but most realised their dreams by playing alongside each other for club or country. There are a smaller, but no less significant, group that have lined out against each others while representing different nations.
‘Sisters’, the latest Guinness advert following on from ‘The Purse’, tells the real-life story of two rugby players, and sisters, Harriet (pictured below) and Bridget Millar-Mills.
The piece has been released to mark Guinness stepping in as the first official partner of the Women’s Six Nations in 2019.
It tells the story of the sisters growing up and playing rugby together only to end up on opposite sides of the pitch when England (Harriet) and Scotland (Bridget) faced off in the 2013 Six Nations. According to the release:
‘Sisters’ is the latest piece of content from the ‘Made of More’ series, following the launch of ‘The Purse’ earlier in the championship. Previous pieces in the series include ‘Shane Williams’ (2014) and ‘Gareth Thomas’ (2015) have focused on players of character from the men’s national teams, while ‘Sisters’ is the first piece of content from the brand championing players from the women’s game.’
As for the Millar Mills sisters, they said, “When we started playing the sport, we never expected to be lining up for opposing national teams.
“Although we’re rivals on the pitch and there has always been a competitive edge, we are sisters first and foremost and that friendship between us has always motivated us to be the best we can be at the game.”
As for the match itself, Harriet’s England comprehensively came out on top that day, winning 76-0.
Evocative stuff.
