Priscilla Jepchumbah
Paris Olympic bronze medalist Ilona Maher has expressed an interest in joining the US Women's Rugby World Cup team in England as World Rugby recently celebrated just one year until the tournament begins.
Maher has gained a lot of attention on social media over the past month and is now on the radar of the rugby union community, with her presence on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram attracting large followings – she boasts 2.3 million followers on TikTok and 3.8 million on Instagram.
For comparison, Maher has more followers on Instagram than the All Blacks (1.3 million), nearly three times as many as the world champion Springboks, including All Blacks legend Dan Carter (1.1 million) and Springbok captain Siya Kolisi (1.3 million).
Maher's candid social media videos introduced a new demographic to rugby union, with numerous videos posted to social media showing new fans joining Maher in reminiscing throughout the historic event as the USA won the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.
A number of videos have been released combining footage of Maher's Olympic performances with Chappell Lawn's song “Femininomenon,” highlighting Maher's huge influence. With exciting developments for the Women's Rugby World Cup and USA Rugby, it is notable that Maher recently announced her intentions to join the team.
Her goal is to “try and get on that team” as the Eagles aim to repeat their historic sevens feat with success in 15s.
“To all the new rugby fans, don't be scared, I've got rugby for you all,” Maher said on TikTok. “The biggest thing I'll be focusing on is the Women's Rugby World Cup next year.
“This is definitely going to be a major event.
“Hold on, that's wrong – this is 15-a-side rugby, what we watched at the Olympics was rugby sevens. But it's amazing how there are so many different forms of rugby to watch.
The 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup will kick off at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland in a year's time. “The World Cup will be in England, we love rugby and it will undoubtedly be a festival.”
“I'm going to try to be there, get on that team and see if they can use me somewhere on the field.”
“It's going to be a really fun event, so keep an eye out. This year, there will be matches all over the country so you can come and watch and cheer on the team. There might even be one in your neighborhood, so be sure to check it out.”
During the Olympics, Maher posted a series of entertaining videos before the start of the rugby sevens matches, giving fans a look behind the scenes at the Athletes' Village and was well received on social media for his efforts.
Maher's most memorable moment came on the final day of rugby sevens at the Olympics, when the men's team competed over three days and the women's team over roughly the same number of days, and Maher led the United States to an Olympic bronze medal.
Team USA took on defending SVNS Series champion Australia and came out victorious. Behind a brilliant performance from Alex Cedric, who ran all over the US, the USA won a hard-fought 14-12 victory over Australia to claim their first Olympic rugby sevens medal.
World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin said: “Ilona is undoubtedly a superstar of the game – that's all.”
“She is the most followed player in rugby and has more followers than most, if not all, of the celebrities in Paris. Overnight she gained 300,000 new followers on Instagram and 100,000 new followers on TikTok.”
