Ilona Maher happy to be a rugby superstar 'but it can't just be me'


Fresh from scoring a 70-yard try in her first start for Bristol Bears at the weekend in their 41-31 victory over play-off rivals Exeter Chiefs, Ilona Maher knows she is rugby union’s superstar even if, as she openly admits, she is “not the best rugby player”.

The 28-year-old USA Eagles international’s arrival in England and to Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR, England’s top-flight, 15-a-side league) has sparked an incredible rise in support and interest in women’s rugby union in the country.

Maher’s first game, where she featured from the bench for the final 20 minutes against Gloucester-Hartpury earlier this month, had to be moved to Ashton Gate stadium, home of the men’s side, because of the number of fans wanting to catch a glimpse of her. Over 9,000 were in attendance — a club and PWR record for a standalone game. A further 4,000 turned out to watch her score that first try against Exeter and the Bears’ next game against Leicester Tigers has already been moved to Ashton Gate “due to unprecedented demand.”

After the match, fans queued around Ashton Gate, also home to Bristol City men’s soccer team, in the hopes of meeting Maher whose every move of this three-month contract is being followed by a camera crew from a production company — Hello Sunshine — founded by actress Reese Witherspoon.

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“I love that they (the fans) interact with me and they see me as somebody who they also can come up to. It is really cool that I’ve created that openness there,” Maher said at a news conference on Wednesday. “There are times when I’m like ‘please give me some space’ but other than that I really love that I am a person people feel very comfortable with.

“I’ve had people in tears just because I took a selfie. Those moments mean a lot to me. And there’s so many that add up. I just hope that, again, I’m honored to be that superstar of rugby but I just feel like it’s not enough for it just to be me. We need more players (to be in the spotlight too) because I’m maybe, as I said, working my magic here (trying to help others do it). I think we need more (players to do the same) to make it even bigger.”

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(Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Maher built a cult following on TikTok during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 where she starred for the USA rugby sevens team. She then added to it leading up to and during the Paris Olympics three years later. Her body-confident, empowering and sometimes silly videos have been a hit with fans around the world and young women and girls in particular.

The American has more than eight million followers across Instagram (4.8million) and TikTok (3.4million) and says she is not worried about any potential TikTok ban in the U.S. affecting the business empire she continues to build.

“I’m feeling weird (about TikTok potentially being banned and unavailable on app stores across America) because my sister and I joke about it like, ‘Oh thank god, release us from these shackles of watching TikTok all the time’,” Maher laughed. “I’m actually not too worried about it. In a way, I’m like well I can’t do anything about it.

“But again I was smart about it. I actually tried to grow a lot on Instagram and I knew that was a really good platform to grow on. So everything I post on TikTok I post on Instagram. I have more followers on Instagram because of that. I knew that one platform isn’t just enough.

“So I’m like sad because people can be so funny on that app. But then again, I’m like there will be another one. People can watch me on Instagram, I post the same stuff. TikTok is a place where people can just be free and be themselves whereas I’m just free on both apps.”

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(Top photo: Dustin Satloff/Getty Images for the USOPC)



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