By Priscilla Jepchumba

Ilona Maher, who won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, has expressed interest in joining the United States of America team at the upcoming Women’s Rugby World Cup in England. World Rugby recently celebrated the “one year to go” milestone ahead of the event.

Maher has gained a lot of attention on social media over the past month, becoming the focal point of the sport of rugby union. Her presence on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram has earned her a sizeable following. Maher has 2.3 million followers on TikTok and 3.8 million on Instagram.

For comparison, Maher’s Instagram following is 1.3 million larger than the All Blacks and almost three times larger than the world champion Springboks. All Blacks legend Dan Carter has 1.1 million followers, while Springboks captain Siya Kolisi has 1.3 million.

Maher’s candid social media videos have brought rugby union to a new audience. During the USA’s road to an Olympic bronze medal at the Paris Games, numerous videos surfaced on social media showing new fans witnessing Maher’s emotions during the historic event.

Numerous videos have been released featuring footage of Maher’s Olympic performances and Chappel Roan’s song “Femininomenon,” highlighting Maher’s huge influence. It’s worth noting that there has been an exciting development for the Women’s Rugby World Cup and for USA Rugby, with Maher recently announcing her intention to join the team.

Her goal is to “get into that team” as the Eagles look to repeat their historic success in the seven-man team with a success in the 15-man team.

“Don’t worry, my new rugby fans, there will be rugby for you,” Maher said on TikTok. “The biggest event I want to highlight is the Women’s Rugby World Cup next year.

“It’s going to be absolutely amazing.

“Wait a minute, wait a minute, there’s a slight difference – this is rugby 15, whereas at the Olympics you saw rugby 7. But that’s just so cool, there are so many different variations of rugby that you can watch.

The 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup kicks off in a year’s time with an opening match at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland. “This World Cup will be in England and England loves rugby and it will be a party, I’m sure of it.”

“I’ll try to be there. I’ll try to get into the team and see if they can put me somewhere on the field.”

“It’s going to be a lot of fun, so keep your eyes peeled. There are games happening all over the place this year for you to watch and cheer on. They might even be near you, so check them out.”

During the Olympics, Maher released a series of entertaining videos before the start of rugby sevens, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at the athletes’ village and her efforts were highly praised on social media.

Maher’s most memorable moment came on the final day of rugby sevens at the Olympics. After three days of competition for the men and almost as many days for the women, Maher led the United States in its pursuit of an Olympic bronze medal.

Team USA took on SVNS Series champion Australia and remarkably emerged victorious. Alex Sedrick put in an impressive performance from coast to coast as the Americans secured their first Olympic rugby sevens medal with a hard-fought 14-12 win over Australia.

World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin said: “Ilona is without a doubt a superstar of these Games. Period.”

“She is the most followed female rugby athlete, has more followers than most if not all of the big names in Paris and has attracted an additional 300,000 followers on Instagram and 100,000 on TikTok overnight.”