Ilona Maher’s sister ‘proud’ of sibling’s impact but admits fifteens transition was ‘incredibly stressful’
Ilona Maher's sister 'proud' of siblings impact but admits fifteens transition was 'incredibly stressful'
Ilona Maher’s little sister, Adrianna, has reflected on the journey the American rugby star has been on over the past few years, highlighting the “incredible” impact that the 29-year-old has had on young girls around the world.
All eyes will be on the USA this weekend in the 2025 World Cup as they face Samoa, desperately needing a mighty bonus point win to give themselves a chance of securing a knockout spot.
The interest levels are at an all-time high, but that wasn’t always the case.
Speaking about her big sister’s USA women’s sevens team debut in 2018, Adrianna Maher said: “When she first started, the stadiums we’d go to were so empty, or empty is a bad word, but, you know, they weren’t full, less than half even.”
With a combined following of roughly nine million followers on Instagram and TikTok, Maher’s popularity has since gained the attention of not just the rugby world but wider society.
Maher is no longer contending with empty stadiums on the regular, but rather entertaining thousands of eager supporters who are more often than not there to catch a glimpse of the lady who combined beauty and brawn to serve as a role model for women everywhere.
Adrianna claimed that she was “proud’ when asked how she felt about her sister’s achievements, but admitted, “It’s so much more than that. Just seeing the interest in people and the young girls, and to know my sister had an impact on that, that’s just incredible. It really is.”
Swapping the festival atmosphere of the sevens series for the 15-person code is a daunting challenge for any player, but Maher has taken it in her stride, winning hearts at Bristol Bears, and now carrying the hopes of a nation at the World Cup. For her family, however, the transition has been a little harder.
“Incredibly stressful,” Adrianna admitted when speaking about following the USA’s progress in England. “I’m used to sevens matches, so 14 minutes of anxiety, and it being 80 minutes was something different.”
Aware of the mathematical gymnastics the girls are up against at the weekend, Ilona Maher and co will need to go “all in” according to her sibling.
Mathematical standings
As it stands, Australia are currently sitting in second place on eight points, while the USA are in third with three points. For the USA to ensure a second-place finish, they will need to secure a bonus point victory over Samoa, whilst Australia will need to fail to secure any points in their match against England. If this scenario happens, then both sides will finish on eight points.
Even if this does all occur, the USA will need to contend with the extraordinary points difference of 135 that’s currently on the table. This means an average of 67.5 points difference will need to happen in both matches for the USA to go through.
For Australia to guarantee progress to the next round, all they will need to do is ensure that they pick up a single point, whether that’s from a losing bonus point or a try-scoring bonus point.
READ MORE: Watch: The dramatic end to USA v Australia and what it means for Ilona Maher and co.