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SVNS Series stars reflect on how Ilona Maher is changing the game
By Finn Morton
Rugby has never had a superstar quite like Ilona Maher. Following the USA’s historic bronze medal triumph at the Paris Olympics, Maher’s popularity has continued to soar in the months since, with the icon boasting a larger social media following than even the All Blacks.
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Maher has four million followers on Instagram alone, which is 1.4 million more than what New Zealand’s famed rugby team have. The Springboks have less than a third of Maher’s support on the popular social media platform, while the Wallabies have just shy of one-eighth.
At just 28 years of age, Maher has achieved amazing feats both on the field and in the world of social media stardom. The American has impressed on this year’s season of Dancing With the Stars in the U.S., and she also interviewed Captain Marvel lead Brie Larson.
Earlier this month, Maher was included in Time100 Next which recognises those who “are not waiting long in life to make an impact.” Pop star Sabrina Carpenter and Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown were also featured in the prestigious Time Magazine list.
It’s all nothing short of incredible.
Teammates and rivals alike couldn’t be happier to see how the USA Sevens ace is changing the game for women’s sports. Alex ‘Spiff’ Sedrick, who knew Maher “before the fame” and worldwide recognition, insists the attention hasn’t changed her well-known teammate.
“It’s so cool because she is the exact same person. She does not put on a face for media or like an online personality,” Sedrick told RugbyPass. I know some people who are like, ‘Oh this is my brand online but this is who I really am.’ She’s consistent the entire time.
“Sometimes with women it can feel like competition. We do play the same position but I never feel like I’m competing with her, I’m always competing alongside her. It’s such a cool thing to come from a gymnastics, a sport where it’s very individual – you are competing against a lot of people.
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“To have like this example of her, and all my other teammates, who are all about lifting women up and amplifying voices and just really wanting everyone to win. (Maher) has done that for not only us but so many other girls.
“She pushes social media on us a lot, she’s like, ‘You guys have to be posting, you guys have to be pushing – put yourself out there and you could get something from it, whether it’s a brand deal, whether it’s a speaking engagement or whether you’re just inspiring people.’
“It’s so important that we share our stories and she does such a good job of doing that authentically and she shares so much. She doesn’t have to and I don’t think anyone would blame her if she didn’t but she has such an important message and the way that she shares it is just so authentic.”
Sedrick is another famous member of Team USA’s bronze medal-winning rugby sevens side. With a spot on the podium on the line against Australia, ‘Spiff’ went 95 metres to level the scores at 12-all with time up on the clock at Stade de France.
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The 26-year-old from Salt Lake City then stepped up and converted the try to hand Team USA a 14-12 win. That effort won America their first-ever Olympics medal in rugby sevens, which this writer later branded ‘a win for rugby’ as Maher’s popularity continues to rise.
But, whenever there is a winner, there must also be a loser.
Australia were tipped to challenge for gold going into the Paris Games. They had recently won the overall SVNS Series title after beating France in the Championship Game of the Grand Final event at Madrid’s Civitas Metropolitano.
With Maddison Levi scoring tries for fun, the Aussies won their first four matches by big margins and appeared to be on their way to the podium. But they lost their semi-final to Canada in a mighty upset, and they couldn’t quite recover against Maher’s USA.
That hurt the women in gold.
But, about two-and-a-half months down the line, Australia captain Charlotte Caslick was preparing to start pre-season when she spoke with a journalist from RugbyPass and Rugby.com.au. Of course, the Olympics was the main talking point
And with that, Maher was mentioned.
“It’s been amazing. Ilona, what she’s doing for not only rugby but women’s sport and women in general is amazing,” Caslick told this writer and another journalist.
“I think, hopefully growing rugby in the States leading into the ’28 Olympics is going to be massive and hopefully makes sevens even bigger at that event.
“I guess there’s always silver linings to everything. It sucks that we were the ones that were on the harsh end of it but it’s always great, when you play sevens you’re quite close with girls that we play against so it’s always really cool to see everything she’s doing.
“You can see the girls on the Series are supporting her and loving the way that she’s showcasing sevens on the world stage.”
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She is a non- entity on the rugby pitch except at 7s apparently. I would prefer women’s rugby to be prosper on a solider base than social media.
What many people don't seem to understand is that rugby is just a game, just another sport fighting for eyeballs against every single other sport, social media, videogames, etc. Our fanbase is ageing and capturing the imagination of the next generation should be a top priority if we want our game to have a future. Ilona has done a wonderful job in putting rugby out there, something not even great male players like Dan Carter could do. Between her and Siya Kolisi they are pushing rugby into uncharted territory, and we should celebrate that, instead of being suspicious. Every single talk show she's invited to, every brand deal she gets is a win for rugby.
Does it matter how many followers she has if she hasn't won ANYTHING? Does Bronze even count?
She is famous, but not for her rugby.