At a time when rugby union is struggling to find its way among a raft of other disciplines, stars like Ilona Maher are doing wonders for the sport, and in particular, the women’s game.
‘We’re a very stoic sport,’ Maher said earlier this year, speaking during a press conference.
‘There is a culture in rugby we need to shift.
‘It’s an amazing sport, but also an old sport where the same things have been happening for years.
‘We keep talking about getting young people into the game. Those people are online.
‘We have to shift our mindset if the sport is going to evolve.’
Bristol Bears star Ilona Maher is gearing up to play against Australia this week for team USA
The rugby union star, who has over 4.9million followers on Instagram has been taking the world by storm
Maher has also appeared on television, being the first rugby player to appear on Dancing with the Stars, finishing as a runner-up in November 2024
Maher hit the nail on the head. The sport is floundering with its profile and marketability, and the news this week that the Irish sevens side, who finished second in the 2023-24 World Sevens Series were folding due to financial constraints, is indicative of that.
However, Maher, unstoppable on the pitch and electrifying off it, is a prime example of how the sport and stars within it, can grow their profiles to help put rugby on the global stage.
The social media, television and rugby star has become one of the most popular athletes on the planet and is rugby’s most followed player on social media.
She also ranked ahead of the likes of Lewis Hamilton and even Jude Bellingham in SportsPro’s 50 Most Marketable list in 2024.
The 28-year-old American superstar has 4.9million followers on Instagram, that’s more than the likes of Antoine Dupont and Siya Kolisi combined – two of world rugby’s most popular stars.
Even looking further afield, Maher has more followers than NRL superstar Reece Walsh, by a long, long way, and even blows footy stars Nick Daicos and Bailey Smith out the water.
Born in Burlington Vermont, Maher is one of rugby’s most charismatic figures. Her social media accounts are stacked with hilarious clips and reels of Maher giving fans an insight into the life of an elite female rugby player.
Maher has also made several appearances on television, becoming the first rugby player to compete on Dancing with the Stars, where she finished as a runner-up in November 2024.
The rugby star began playing sevens for team USA but is now looking to gain a place to play in this year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup
Last summer Maher also helped the USA clinch a bronze medal by beating Australia in the third-place play-off in Paris
During that series, she said she felt her impressive physique was being concealed, but said she wanted to show off her muscles.
‘I felt like I was being slightly covered up; that they thought a bigger girl may want something more modest, and I was like, “Nope! If the 100lb girl is naked, I want to be naked. Less fabric!”‘ she said to Marie Claire UK.
She had also struck poses for Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit edition earlier that year and now hosts a podcast called the House of Maher.
Evidence of her popularity was made clear earlier this year, after Maher moved from the United States to join up with Bristol Bears.
Ahead of the Women’s Rugby World Cup later this year, Maher, who has primarily played Sevens for the States in the past, is gunning to qualify for a position in the USA XV squad.
And in January, approximately 9,000 fans turned out to watch her make her debut at Ashton Gate for Bristol in the Women’s Premiership. That is 4,000 more than Bristol women’s previous attendance.
But her incredible following hasn’t come without a lot of hard work.
‘I put my blood, sweat and tears into building this platform for myself and at times I feel used for it, which is never fun,’ the sportswoman, who made Time Magazine TIME100 in 2024, said.
Maher now is using her platform to help grow the women’s sport and has encouraged other female stars to take the leap into creating social media content alongside their sport
Maher has also risen to becoming one of the most popular athletes in the world for her social media following, with the rugby star having featured on Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit edition
World Rugby chairman Brett Robinson has also spoken of his excitement to welcome Maher Down Under this year, noting her platform and profile around the world compared to some of Australia’s biggest sporting stars including NRL star Reece Walsh (left)
The 28-year-old superstar had previously played field hockey, basketball and softball in high school but began playing rugby at university, before going on to join the Quinnipiac Bobcats.
She’d move to play in the centres and would win three National Intercollegiate Rugby Association Championships before stepping into sevens, making her debut on the international stage for the USA in 2018.
She’d go on to represent the side at the 2020 Summer Olympics, scoring three tries to see the US finish in sixth. But in 2024 she’d return to feature at the Paris Olympics, helping her side seal victory in a dramatic third-place play-off against Australia, to clinch a bronze medal.
The 28-year-old centre made headlines at the Summer Games too for her hilarious social media clips showcasing what life was like for competitors in the athletes’ village, notably bumping into sporting icons, including Simone Biles.
‘I went into the Olympics knowing people are made by it – Simone Biles, Michael Phelps. I knew my personality would be different. I went into Paris knowing I had the chance to make myself and went in with a plan to post loads of videos,’ she said.
‘It is a vulnerable thing to put yourself online like I do. It is tough. But putting yourself out there is how you get connections with people. It is on us to keep building our sport.
‘We need to do more. Can we go into the World Cup with a plan for players to post more videos? I want to show you can do both – play good rugby and post good videos.
‘More women need to use social media to get themselves out there.
Maher said she took full advantage of the 2024 Olympic Games to grow her social media profile
She added: ‘We need to do more. Can we go into the World Cup with a plan for players to post more videos? I want to show you can do both – play good rugby and post good videos.’
Now Maher is gearing up for a trip Down Under, having been named in the USA XV’s squad heading to play in the upcoming Pacific Four series.
America began their series last week, with Maher starting at outside centre during their 14-26 defeat by Canada. They are now due to face Australia on Saturday, May 17 before taking on New Zealand in the Southern Hemisphere.
And given Maher’s huge profile around the world, her presence in Australia is no doubt set to increase the number of eyes on this year’s series.
‘Having Ilona in town is also really special for rugby and the women’s rugby space in general,’ Wallaroos star Michaela Leonard said.
‘She’s done incredible work breaking barriers and breaking stereotypes of what it means to be a female athlete, what it means to be strong and powerful, but intelligent as well and maintain that feminine side.
‘I think she’s an incredible example for young girls, young boys, men, women, all across the world in how we view people and how we can change perceptions.
‘An opportunity to see someone like that and, I guess, feel the presence that she has as well, is really exciting.
‘To see the Wallaroos and how well we do against them and shut that down on the field too will be an awesome opportunity (for fans). So definitely get there and get around it.’
Maher’s popularity was laid bare after the rugby union star arrived at Bristol this January, with a record 9,000 fans turning up to watch her play
World rugby can learn a lot from Maher at a time when the sport is struggling to grow it’s profile
World Rugby chairman Brett Robinson has also spoken of his excitement to welcome Maher Down Under this year, noting her platform and profile around the world compared to some of Australia’s biggest sporting stars.
‘A rugby league player called Reece Walsh was touting that he’s just launched a YouTube platform for himself and that he has close to 500,000 followers,’ Robinson said.
‘I just want Reece to know that Ilona Maher, who plays for the US Eagles and for the Bristol Bears, has over four million followers around the world, and it demonstrates the scale of our game and the connection, particularly to the women of our game.’
The sport, though, is facing a tough time with its profile and its finances. That became even clearer in recent days when the Ireland men’s Sevens side, who finished second in the World SVNS Series in 2023-24, folded due to financial issues.
But rugby, its players – both male and female – and its power brokers can learn a lot from Maher’s inspiring journey.
‘For women, our contracts are to play on the field. But that’s also not going to make you have a comfortable living. That’s why we have to do more off the field,’ she said.
‘I would love to see more personalities in the men’s game. You see it a little bit with a player like Joe Marler, but I can’t think of many others who have that. I wish they could show that more.
‘That’s where the women’s game can break away a little bit.’
