Rugby’s biggest and Olympic sevens superstar Ilona Maher is not just busy breaking a leg at the DWTS stage. In fact, she is considering a blockbuster move to England, a move that isn’t going to be smooth either!

An article by The Telegraph from October 25 claims that the USA sevens star is potentially in the talks to join several British rugby clubs. The most-followed rugby player on social media is already in communication to make her move to the Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) complete. With the World Cup coming up next year, Maher might soon be spending her days on the field in the UK rather than in the USA. But which teams are interested?

Both the Bristol Bears and Gloucester-Hartpury, who defeated the Bears in last season’s final, have reached out to the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model to enlist her among their ranks, which makes this all the more interesting. One of the most popular sports stars in the world, with SportsPro ranking her eighth and between Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo on the list of the most marketable athletes in the world, it’s easy to comprehend why the PWR also wants Maher to be the face of the tournament. If the move happens, it won’t be long before Maher hits the Bears’ Ashton Gate Stadium or The Circus Cherry and Whites’ Kingsholm Stadium.

Next year’s tournament is set to start on Aug 22, running all the way to Sep 27 with a final culminating at Twickenham. However, the path to get her to the British Isles won’t be a walk in the park for any of the involved parties. Issues with visas could become the biggest hurdle to getting Ilona Maher to relocate from the USA. Primarily, for one major conditional reason.

In the men’s Premiership, US players are allowed inside the union club competition on the condition that they have to have played three Test matches in the previous two years… which in the Vermont resident’s case, Ilona hasn’t had such an appearance in 15-a-side matches since 2021.

On the other hand, the USA has been a steady supplier of players to the PWR over the years, and Maher could be the latest to join the long list. The defender could arrive in the UK in January, making her available for at least six regular-season matches. But, wait a minute, was this not entirely anticipated? Apparently, it was.

Rolls back to the months before the Games, Ilona Maher had already declared: “I’ve been really interested in [PWR]” 

Ilona Maher has been pretty vocal about her interest in the PWR. In the months leading up to the Games, Ilona told The Rugby Rundown Podcast that she was most appreciative of PWR’s marketing campaign from last season that brought a lot of attention economy to the prominent players. She said,

“I’ve been really interested in [the competition] and watching it grow. What they’re trying to do this season with the photoshoot is to bring out the personalities of players.

“For me, what I’ve learnt through the Olympics is that when people watch the sport and want to connect with it is by having someone out there that they connect with. Having those people to connect with on these teams, like Claudia MacDonald and Marlie Packer, I think will really bring the fans to it.”

The move is yet to be confirmed. But it looks like chances are high that Ilona won’t put down the offer having known her vetted interest in PWR.