Ilona Maher Focused On World Cup Glory

Last summer, the U.S. Women’s National Rugby team pulled off an upset win over Australia to take the bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Since then, the team’s biggest star, prop Ilona Maher, has been almost everywhere.

Maher called the experience of playing in Paris in front of 60,000-person crowds “amazing” and added, “I don’t think I’ve taken a breath since.”

The USA team was initially paired with rugby powerhouse France in the tournament’s Group C, along with Japan and Brazil. On July 28, 2024, the Eagles opened up their Olympic Rugby Sevens campaign with an astounding 36-7 win over Japan, in which Maher scored a try (5 points) in the 9th minute of play. In their next game, less than four hours later, the USA women secured their advance to the next round with a 24-7 win over Brazil in which Maher also scored.

In the next round, the USA faced Great Britain in the Olympic quarterfinals, pulling off a 17-7 win, in which Maher played more of a defensive and support role.

After losing to eventual gold medalists New Zealand in the semifinals, the Americans faced Australia in the bronze medal match, winning last-minute 14-12, after Maher supplied the ball to center Alex Sedrick, who ran it in for the winning score.

Last week, when I interviewed Maher for the third time, via Zoom, she spoke not only about winning a medal for the USA but also about the experience of representing her country on the biggest stage.

“Sometimes it still doesn’t feel real,” Maher explained, while stating that the team’s “whole goal was getting a medal. Even though it was bronze to us, it felt like gold (to us), and I think to the world, it felt like gold in many ways.”

And while millions of Americans, both everyday sports fans and media pundits alike, are striving to learn the ins and outs of rugby, Maher says that the enthusiasm during and since the Olympics has been remarkable.

“Whenever someone talks about me, they sometimes will call me a gold medalist, and I’m like, you’re wrong, but thank you so much,” Maher said. “We have, I think, elevated the sport much more than anything. It’s been a really cool role, and I think rugby is really reaping the benefits of it.”

The 2024 Olympics marked the New Zealand women’s team’s second gold medal in Olympic Rugby Sevens. Canada took the silver medal, and the USA’s bronze was the country’s first Olympic medal in rugby overall. But it was in the after-party from the USA’s exceptional finish that saw Maher’s star rise in the public space.

VIDEO: A highlight reel of Ilona Maher’s rugby power

The 5-foot-10 Maher, a three-time NIRA college rugby champion, turned up as a guest on Late Night With Seth Meyers just hours after arriving back in the USA from France, after the August 11 closing ceremony.

She also made the rounds elsewhere on television, being booked for an interview with CBS Mornings, reading fun tweets for Buzzfeed, and a fun sit-down on Peacock with comedians Kevin Hart and Keenan Thompson. CNN even went so far as to call Ilona Maher “the face of rugby.”

In addition to an ongoing media tour, Maher has experienced a rise on social media visibility, with her Instagram follower count rising from 1 million to 5 million. And most recently, Maher was tapped by Sports Illustrated to be one of the athletes featured in SI’s 2025 Swimsuit Edition.

Yet, millions of Americans got to know Maher from her participation this past year in ABC’s TV hit series Dancing With The Stars. This season, Maher was paired with professional dancer Alan Bersten to compete against NBA veteran Dwight Howard, actors Eric Roberts and Tori Spelling, and others. Maher and her partner made it to the final round of the Dancing With The Stars competition.

Yet Maher said that one of her main interests, besides winning, of course, has been to grow the game of rugby and see it provide more opportunities for the sport’s top players. She thinks the USA team’s performance will increase visibility for the game’s athletes.

“As female athletes, we especially want to be sponsored because we want to be able to play our sport comfortably. I think there is starting to be a change in that.”

Right before the Summer Olympics’ conclusion, and the same day that the USA won bronze, businesswoman and investor Michele Kang, owner of the Washington Spirit, Olympique Lyonnais Féminin, and London City Lionesses women’s soccer clubs, announced a $4 million donation to the USA Women’s Rugby Sevens team.

VIDEO: Ilona Maher talks rugby and birthday celebrations with Seth Meyers.

On top of being the most exciting rugby player on the planet right now, Maher is known as an advocate for body positivity. It’s one big reason she’s been tapped for a new endorsement deal with TJ Maxx.

The brand’s newest initiative, championing what it calls “True Originals,” focuses on women who are boldly and authentically themselves. In addition to signing Maher, TJ Maxx has also enlisted Tony and Grammy award-winning singer Renée Elise Goldsberry, world-renowned pianist and composer Chloe Flower, and others to launch a groundbreaking new program that brings dynamic sponsorships to everyday women for being exactly who they already are.

“It’s important for us (women) to be able to focus on ourselves, be true originals, and really, live out authentically our lives and passions,” Maher said. She adds that her increased work of the field has allowed her to be “not just a rugby player,” but to undertake other pursuits such as her TV appearances and, hopefully, one day acting.

“Long-term, I definitely want to branch out more. I would love to see what I can do in the other media space, whether it’s the commercial space, the film space.”

Fellow TJ Maxx ambassador Flower thinks that Maher is exactly the kind of person women need to hear more from.

“Ilona is the kind of powerhouse you can’t help but be inspired by – not just because of her incredible talent on the field, but because of how she shows up off of it,” Flower said this week. “She leads with authenticity and boldness–exactly what this campaign is all about. I’m so proud to stand alongside her as we champion women who are rewriting the rules just by being themselves.”

In addition to Maher’s partnership with TJ Maxx, she has also won recent endorsement deals and partnerships with beauty megabrand L’Oreal, skin care firm Paula’s Choice, as well as a multi-year agreement with sports giant Adidas. Last summer, before the Olympics, she also scored a partnership with Procter & Gamble to pitch one of their flagship products, Secret.

And on the rugby scene, Maher was recruited by England’s Premiership Women’s Rugby league to play a season for the Bristol Bears, helping the team snag fourth place in the 2025 season, and also helping increase attendance.

Gunning for World Cup glory

But Maher said she has one other major item on her task list, the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

This year’s competition takes place in England during the month of August, with matches set to kick off in eight cities, including London, Manchester, Brighton, and Bristol.

The USA’s first game against England is on August 22, with a total of 16 countries competing for the trophy. The Eagles’ best result in the Women’s Rugby World Cup happened in 1991, when the USA were crowned champions. Maher is gearing up for the challenge and hopes that her USA squad can match that feat.

“That’s the focus right now, and my hope for the game (of rugby) is that more eyes will be on it,” Maher said. “I hope it’s not just eyes on me. We have so many more great athletes, and people are recognizing us and what we’re capable of.”