Ilona Maher shares her reaction to USA Women's Rugby team reaching HSBC SVNS final after beating Australia

American Union rugby player Ilona Maher recently expressed her joy over Team USA Seven's victory over Australia at the 2024 HSBC SNVC Cup in Cape Town. The Eagles emerged on top of the pile in the semifinals by a margin of 24-19.

USA were trailing by five points (7-12) at the halfway mark in the game. But the Eagles mounted a strong comeback in the second half to win the match courtesy of tries from Ariana Ramsey, Nia Toliver, and Alyssa Porter.

USA Rugby Sevens star Ilona Maher reacted to the teams' victory via an Instagram video. In the video, Maher was seen sitting in a coffee shop and caressing her face nervously as her team played out the match.

"Trying to remain calm in this coffee shop" Maher's in-video text stated.

Maher also gave a special shoutout to Nia Toliver for her match-winning try in the game. She wrote in her caption:

"@usarugby got that dawg in them this season!! @niatoliver with the winning try!!"

Following a victory in this match, the US team faced New Zealand in the cup finals who were fresh off a dominant 43-0 victory against France in the semifinals. The Eagles Sevens lost the match 12-26 despite tries from Toliver and Porter.

Maher who is an integral part of the US Sevens team didn't participate in the tournament due to her commitments to Bristol Bears, after her recent move to the Premiership side.

Ilona Maher reacts to being included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list

Ilona Maher donning a blue Team USA t-shirt with her bronze medal on the fifth day of the 2024 Paris Olympics (Image via: Getty Images)

Ilona Maher recently opened up after being included in the Forbes' 30 Under 30 list. The 28-year-old is in good company on the list which includes high-profile athletes such as Gabby Thomas and Tara Davis-Woodhall.

Maher took to her Instagram handle to pen down a note on her Instagram handle and express her gratitude after achieving this feat in her career. She also addressed the other members of this list as "game changers" in her post. She wrote:

"Honored to have been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Sports list and be included among some of the world’s most impactful (and literal) game-changers @forbes."

Ilona Maher has emerged to be a prominent face of the rugby circuit in recent times courtesy of her immense social media following backed up by her bronze medal-winning campaign at the 2024 Summer Olympics. She also participated in the dance television show, "Dancing With the Stars" where she finished second in the standings with professional dancer, Alan Bersten.