U.S. women’s rugby celebrated moments after winning the bronze medal in rugby sevens at the Paris Olympics.
Ilona Maher, America's biggest rugby star and "Dancing With the Stars" runner-up, has waltzed herself over to the United Kingdom to play for the Bristol Bears.
Maher announced the move on her TikTok account Monday after months of speculation as to whether she might join the Premiership Women's Rugby league. Rumors began to circulate in October that she was in talks with the Bristol or Gloucester teams, but the season started while Maher was competing on the popular reality series "Dancing With the Stars."
The show, which films in Los Angeles, ended last week with Maher — and her partner, Alan Bersten — placing second. She added to the speculation that her playing career was headed across the pond when she posted over the weekend from an airport on her way to London.
But Maher finally put the rumors to rest in videos on her social media, saying, "The Eagle has landed."
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"I'm looking forward to calling Bristol home as we gear up for the Rugby World Cup 2025 played here in England," Maher joked.
She went on to joke if she could "get a roast" after recording the video, saying it was a big reason she was there.
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Bears head coach Dave Ward described Maher's signing as a "coup" in a statement Monday, adding that her style offers the team "a new dimension."
"She is one of the biggest names in women’s sport, let alone rugby, and we believe she will add real value to our programme on and off the field," Ward said.
According to the team, Maher will train with the Bears before spending the holidays in the U.S. and is set to return for a three-month deal starting in January. The league final is scheduled for mid-March.
Maher has amassed more than 3 million TikTok followers and 4 million more on Instagram. The 28-year-old athlete rose to fame during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, posting hilarious TikTok videos from the Olympic Village as the Covid pandemic restricted fans and family members from in-person spectating.
Her star has only brightened since the Tokyo Games, as Maher was part of this summer's team that brought the U.S. its first rugby title in 100 years.
Fans diligently followed her posts from the Paris Games. The U.S. women's team won bronze at the 2024 Olympics, the furthest the team has ever gotten at the Games.
Upon returning home, Maher took yet another challenge by signing on to join "Dancing With the Stars." She described it as a show she used to watch with her family and something that outside her comfort zone.
"I think I'm also doing it again to show that rugby players are so multidimensional," Maher told ABC's "Good Morning America" in September. "We go out there on the field and we're beasts, but I can be a beauty, I can dance, I can do all these things.
Throughout the competition, Maher occasionally struggled, and at one point even broke down crying after a rough attempt at a jive. But fans praised the Olympian for her vulnerability and determination, voting for her week after week.
She also became the first female celebrity on the show to lift her partner in a dance.
Maher's followers were thrilled to hear the news that she's joining the Bears, and among those cheering her on were her "DWTS" cast mates.
"Let’s go!!!!!!! I’m so proud of you. And can’t wait to see you kill it," Bersten commented on Maher's Instagram page.
The Premiership Women’s Rugby league is also going to be a slight change in format for what many are used to seeing Maher play in. She typically plays rugby sevens — with seven players per team, as is the style at the Olympics — but the league plays 15s, with 15 players per team.
The 15s not only has more players, but the matches are also significantly longer. The smaller squad is on the field for two seven-minute halves, whereas the traditional rugby 15s is played in two 40-minute intervals.
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