Is Ilona Maher the new Wonder Woman? A look at the American’s influence on women’s rugby

Ilona Maher has been described by some as Wonder Woman. She is an Olympic Bronze medallist, rugby player, influencer, and Masters’ graduate. Her presence off the rugby pitch has brought so much to the women’s game, catapulting it into mainstream media, and to the screens of young girls and women alike across Tiktok and Instagram. There are no boundaries for her reach; could this be a catalyst for the exponential growth of women’s rugby in the coming year.

For those who don’t know, Ilona Maher is an American rugby sevens star who is currently on a 3-month contract playing for the Bristol Bears in the Women’s Premiership. Excelling on the field with her strength, agility and prowess, it is Maher’s influence off the pitch that is touching the hearts of millions who come across her videos. Her personality has been a huge magnet for the game, and she understands her audience so well – calling them her “friends”. Young girls, teenagers and women are inspired by her openness, drawn to her fun personality and relate to her struggles surrounding women in sport, body image and self-worth.

One way that Maher has inspired the younger generation is through her interviews on national television outlets who are intrigued about her emerging role as the star of women’s rugby

Maher explains that female rugby players have to do much more than their male counterparts to be seen, she said: “I can’t just play the sport I love…I’m not going to be like a men’s player, I can’t put all my focus here.” That is why it is, perhaps, why women’s rugby players, such as Maher, explore social media to far greater heights. We need to find ways to put the game in front of girls, and where
they can be found is social media. Maher hopes to inspire girls to be athletes, saying that she wants “them to dream of being professional rugby players—professional athletes.”

One way that Maher has inspired the younger generation is through her interviews on national television outlets who are intrigued about her emerging role as the star of women’s rugby. A particularly shocking interview by ESPN saw a female reporter declaring that Ilona should feel imposter syndrome and that she is shocked that she doesn’t. It felt borderline shaming and guilt-inducing, I cringed and felt so disappointed that she was put in that position but was so happy with the response Maher gave. She replied:“It’s ok to be proud of what you’ve done. It’s OK to believe you deserve something because you’ve put in the work for it”.

As we have seen in the recent success of the WXV competitions as well as through the fact that over half of RWC2025 tickets have been sold for the World Cup hosted by England this year, the game is truly growing

Despite this acknowledgement of her success, Maher remains humble and surprised by the outcome of her social media presence, reflecting that “I have to put [my focus] into everything else as well and somehow that’s translated into being the biggest star in rugby because of my personality.”

Female rugby players should not be made to feel less than – as Maher mentioned to the BBC: “Being on the pitch is amazing, but as a female athlete, as a female rugby player, I have to do 10 times as much off the field.” But if social media presence and spread of the game becomes the norm, not only will the game grow but the prospect of women’s professional rugby will develop for the players.

As we have seen in the recent success of the WXV competitions as well as through the fact that over half of RWC2025 tickets have been sold for the World Cup hosted by England this year, the game is truly growing.

Rugby is a vessel for a lot of change, and it can have such an incredible impact when used in the right way

Rugby is a vessel for a lot of change, and it can have such an incredible impact when used in the right way. Whilst the times are changing, it is important to continue pouring into the cups of fans so that little girls can dream too. They need to hear the success stories, they need to have role models, and they need to know their perfection lies within and not from
somebody else, as Maher triumphs.

It is time for a new wave where female players showcase their talent, and personalities, and are supported for doing so. It is for the greater good of the game and the girls that thought they never could but now can be a Wonder Woman too. The sky is the limit once that glass ceiling is broken and Maher has started chipping away at it.