Ilona Maher's Instagram post sparks speculation over imminent rugby return

Ilona Maher has set social media alight with a seemingly innocuous Instagram post that has her 5.6 million followers — and several former teammates — convinced a rugby comeback is close.

The 29-year-old USA star posted a selfie wearing a USA Rugby t-shirt, with two pairs of rugby boots visible in the background. The image drew immediate responses from Australia’s Maddison Levi and former USA teammates Nicole Heavirland and Lauren Doyle, with Doyle writing simply: “Sheeeeeeee’s baaaaaack”.

Maher has not appeared on a rugby pitch since the USA Women’s Eagles were eliminated at the group stage of Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025. She played every minute of their campaign — a loss to England, a draw against Australia, and a win over Samoa — before stepping away from the game to focus on her podcast, House of Maher, alongside a string of high-profile commercial appearances.

In April, newly appointed USA Women’s Eagles coach Jack Hanratty confirmed that Maher had been preparing to re-enter Emilie Bydwell’s Sevens programme, while leaving the door open for a future return to the XVs side.

“Ilona is going to slowly get back into sevens,” Hanratty told RugbyPass. “She’s been off rugby for a while so it would be unfair on her to bring her in. I got to chat to her, it was great. The nice thing here is that we’re starting to bring the sevens and 15s together — that’s new. We’re trying to make it a little more fluid and that will benefit a player like Ilona for sure.”

The timing of the speculation is significant. With exactly two years until the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles — the city Maher calls home — a return to the Sevens circuit would put her squarely in contention for a second Olympic campaign.

Maher was a central figure in the USA’s bronze medal run at the Paris 2024 Games, where they defeated Australia 14-12 in the bronze medal match. The tournament also cemented her status as rugby’s most-followed player on social media.

The USA Women’s Eagles Sevens had a strong 2024-25 SVNS Series season, finishing third in the eight-team competition and fourth overall at the SVNS World Championships, with a third-place finish at SVNS NYC as the season highlight. Ariana Ramsey became the first female USA player nominated for HSBC SVNS Women’s Player of the Year and was named in the Women’s SVNS Dream Team of the Year, while Tahna Wilfley was nominated for Women’s SVNS Rookie of the Year.