Yeah she is a powerful runner and has a nasty fend but 0:33 really stood out to me. It's such a high-level play, idk if the average US fan can appreciate what she did there. The chasedown, tackle, getting to her feet, showing hands off, and then attacking the ball to get a no-release penalty. Literally textbook and she did it so fast. I did this a few times in my college 7s days and to me it was a better feeling than scoring a try. I used to watch alot of college and club rugby like 10 years ago when I played and tbh there was a noticeable skill gap between the men and womens teams. Not anymore. Women's rugby has come so far, especially in the US, and its incredibly fun to watch. Thank you for uploading and shoutout to all my rugby brothers and sisters around the world. I am so incredibly proud of our US Eagles.
She’s is an absolute menace at the breakdown defensively agreed! Super high level knowledge to go with super high level natural talent and ability. Really excited to see her play center in a 15s format
@@MistyBasford I cant speak for every region in the US but where I live, the PNW, there are lots of programs for womens rugby at the high school, college, and club levels. Even summer camps for young boys and girls. Also im pretty sure the college I played at just recently started offering scholarships for the womens team too. Theres plenty of opportunities out there but it totally depends on where you live and how popular the sport is there. I’ve noticed that rugby is much bigger in the West than in the East
@@AndrewDavidFordeit’s bcoz of Ilona that my dad has a new found appreciation of my strength as a young g lady ( for years I’ve been told by people that bcoz I’m strong I’m never gonna be good enough but bcoz of her and Stephen nedorosicik the bespectacled Olympian) I’m now set forever
00:33 is an insane individual play, the ability to get the chasedown tackle and not let her score to then get up and get the penalty before anyone else is around is RIDICULOUS
Out of the many great moments and memories from Paris, nothing has stayed with me more than the final moments of the women's rugby bronze medal match, which I was watching live. Congratulations to the entire team!
What a powerhouse!! I love ILHONA! So inspiring. Happy for young girls who get to look up to her. I am a grown woman and I look up to her! Channeling Ilohna next time I'm in the gym! Lol She is an incredible athlete who is smart, hilarious, and so considerate. What a great role model and example. Thanks for the highlight compilation. I've been looking for something like this. Saved it to my favorite videos just so I could reference back when discussing her with others. Great stuff!
Nice! Glad you highlighted the work she does in defence as much as what she does in attack. Great technique tackling and jackalling. And one hell of a fend... I know I wouldn't argue with her! 😃
She is amazing.....I love her style,her passion and think she is absolutely beautiful inside and out Truly an American Icon in rugby...She has faced adversity on and off the field but has always remained positive thru it all ❤
What a beast. She runs likes Earl Campbell and tackles likes Dick Butkus. For you younger people out there look them up on the Internet. They were absolute destroyers in the NFL.
Head down charging speed and hitting toughness. YEAH~~ Primo player. She gets some stick from some off field but stands up and shows her stuff. I like her. Like her a lot.
Whoa 😲. She's a BEAST! She's someone you don't wanna go up against lol. DAYUM. This was my first time checking her out. I came here cuz I just watched a video of her crying and mentioned how her entire life she's dealt with bullies making fun of her for being seen as too masculine and not feminine. I don't know what those idiots are talking about. This woman is FIT. She has to be in order to be great on the field. And from what I've just seen, she dominates any field she steps into. THAT is an athlete. Anyone who bullies her should be ashamed and embarrased of themselves. Ilona is great the way she is. She is bringing home some medals for the U.S. She's a hard worker and it shows. The last thing I'll say is that I wish we had rugby here in the U.S. the way we have football. That sport looks like so much fun to watch. And for me, it's the closest thing I'll see of women playing football. And how is flag football not a legit sport yet? I wanna see some girls rock that field. We can be rough and tough as the boys 💪😎 💯.
Just about every state university has some kinda rugby team, both mens and womens and ill sometimes even see it broadcasted on major sports outlets. I think its more popular in the West than in the East but its played accross the entire nation. In my region we have legit highschool programs as well as adult leagues. Rugby culture in the US may still be small and under the radar but it is extremely passionate. My state even has youth programs and camps and the college I played at just recently started offering scholarships for rugby players. It will never be as popular as football but I could totally see rugby being the next big womens sport kinda like how soccer is now. Men's rugby is decades behind the rest of the world but our women are at the forefront of the sport. I'm so happy we have such great ambassadors like Ilona.
the Australian NRLW need to sign her up.Ilona is the type of player who gets bums on seats....I would love to see her play in our domestic rugby league season👌👌🇭🇲🇭🇲🇭🇲
She is so good! New Zealand loves Ilona, and we love our Rugby girls. We are so lucky to have these Gals entertaining us more than the boys. Ruby, Stacey, Ilona...nuff said!
Such a new fan ! Ilona Maher , the stand out player of women's Rugby ! You beat my Ireland ! Well done ! The Jonah Lomu of women's Rugby 2024 ! What a strong woman !
We heard about the eagles winning games ,it peaked interest,so we watched and observed her not only scoring tries but preventing them,then we realized,oh,ok,we have to adjust our game plan
Watching her play has brought me to the conclusion that she just might have the most effective fend in rugby. I admit that if she was playing men her percentage of involuntary sit downs would drop but she's not play against men. I'd like to see how she looks wearing #8 on the 15s squad.
What she's done to raise the profile of rugby in this country has been insane to behold. Bristol's lucky to have her! She deserved a club after all she's done for Team USA!
Be interesting to see where she plays playing in the 15s, would have to be loose forward or centres but I think having a 7s background and looser nature of that game inside centre would be a better position for her, it could provide her a lot more one on one opportunities
:49 - To every idiot that talks about the NFL and cries about "how else are they supposed to tackle from behind". THIS IS THE ANSWER. You attack the upper legs, wrapping up, prioritizing getting arms around both legs so they can't keep balance. Yeah, I'm glad there's a rule where you can't drop weight into an opponents legs. I was taught to tackle like this in 5th grade, so no excuse for an NFL player. Look...so easy a girl can do it
Love how so often 1 person tries to tackle her, amd its like they throw themselves at a brick wall. Like no honey, bring 2 more friends and maybe you got a chance
Yeah she is a powerful runner and has a nasty fend but 0:33 really stood out to me. It's such a high-level play, idk if the average US fan can appreciate what she did there. The chasedown, tackle, getting to her feet, showing hands off, and then attacking the ball to get a no-release penalty. Literally textbook and she did it so fast. I did this a few times in my college 7s days and to me it was a better feeling than scoring a try. I used to watch alot of college and club rugby like 10 years ago when I played and tbh there was a noticeable skill gap between the men and womens teams. Not anymore. Women's rugby has come so far, especially in the US, and its incredibly fun to watch. Thank you for uploading and shoutout to all my rugby brothers and sisters around the world. I am so incredibly proud of our US Eagles.
Great analysis - I also thoroughly agree that moments like that feel better than scoring a try!
Agreed - there’s absolutely no way that’s not a try 99.9% of the time. Great effort from Ilona
She’s is an absolute menace at the breakdown defensively agreed! Super high level knowledge to go with super high level natural talent and ability. Really excited to see her play center in a 15s format
That’s because women never had the opportunity. We still have very little. But thank you so much for supporting women. ❤
@@MistyBasford I cant speak for every region in the US but where I live, the PNW, there are lots of programs for womens rugby at the high school, college, and club levels. Even summer camps for young boys and girls. Also im pretty sure the college I played at just recently started offering scholarships for the womens team too. Theres plenty of opportunities out there but it totally depends on where you live and how popular the sport is there. I’ve noticed that rugby is much bigger in the West than in the East
Again really appreciate ur coverage of the women's game. Not many others do it let alone so well :)
@@s_6930 thank you! I have another video on a female sevens player out this Monday :)
@@AndrewDavidFordeit’s bcoz of Ilona that my dad has a new found appreciation of my strength as a young g lady ( for years I’ve been told by people that bcoz I’m strong I’m never gonna be good enough but bcoz of her and Stephen nedorosicik the bespectacled Olympian) I’m now set forever
00:33 is an insane individual play, the ability to get the chasedown tackle and not let her score to then get up and get the penalty before anyone else is around is RIDICULOUS
She’s a beast! Hard hitting. Fast. Smart. Amazing player.
@@dumpynipple SHE
@@dumpynipple sad that you can't compete with her?
@@dumpynippleIlona is Female. She is a beast.
@@dumpynippleintimidated?😂 feeling inadequate? 😮😅 man up!
@@jennofthewest0916 Framed incorrectly. Chromo check👍
The tackle, jackal speed is a lesson to all. Awesome player.
Having seen how funny she is on social media, I always forget that she can back it up on the field as well lmao
Not on her socials but have seen a few reposts and yeah, funny as hell.
Wide receiver speed, running back breaking tackles ability and hits harder than a linebacker. Total package.
And she can tackle like a cornerback. And she can jackal like Sam Warburton. Which you don’t get in NFL
She's amazing but she can't hit like an NFL linebacker
Out of the many great moments and memories from Paris, nothing has stayed with me more than the final moments of the women's rugby bronze medal match, which I was watching live. Congratulations to the entire team!
absolute unit of a woman
Careful.
Fantastic to see more women’s players getting the plaudits and recognition 💪
She is an inspiration to me and my daughters. Grit and grace all in one person.
What a powerhouse!! I love ILHONA! So inspiring. Happy for young girls who get to look up to her. I am a grown woman and I look up to her! Channeling Ilohna next time I'm in the gym! Lol She is an incredible athlete who is smart, hilarious, and so considerate. What a great role model and example. Thanks for the highlight compilation. I've been looking for something like this. Saved it to my favorite videos just so I could reference back when discussing her with others. Great stuff!
Ilona has made me a fan of rugby! This is awesome!
@@vivianeborkholder2268 omg me too!
@@vivianeborkholder2268 I'm officially a rugby fan now lol
This kind of coverage is fantastic for Rugby and Rugby 7s in the US, she is also an absolute weapon on the field
Nice! Glad you highlighted the work she does in defence as much as what she does in attack. Great technique tackling and jackalling. And one hell of a fend... I know I wouldn't argue with her! 😃
She looks like a freaking shield maiden 😮 2:54 what a textbook tackle
She is amazing.....I love her style,her passion and think she is absolutely beautiful inside and out
Truly an American Icon in rugby...She has faced adversity on and off the field but has always remained positive thru it all
❤
I hope she does wonderful things for our sport! Proper legend
She is an absolute GLADIATOR
She definitely has a higher gear then most of her field. ❤
Absolutely amazing. She's incredible.
The extra gear you get fro being on gear, such an obvious drug cheat.
I thoroughly enjoyed this. When she tucks her chin and shifts gears, it's over. Gotta get a Ilona Maher jersey for me and my daughter 😂
What a beast. She runs likes Earl Campbell and tackles likes Dick Butkus. For you younger people out there look them up on the Internet. They were absolute destroyers in the NFL.
Not only a great athlete but from what Ive see a great person too.
New to rugby… loving this! 🔥
She’s an incredible athlete! Fast, strong, and smart.
Absolutely amazing athlete. Thanks for the edit. Very cool
I love it! Next level effort!
Absolute athlete. So awesome to see her in rugby. Love her❤ play.
go USA! thx for the highlights!
American Football: "helmet is mandatory for player's protection" Rugby: "what's a helmet?"
Love to watch her put her head down and run. Pure power. Good job young lady.
Powerful, with great appreciation of the breakdown laws! Wow!
Never has an athlete had such passion. Simply amazing.
What a unit! Man I need to start watching rugby.
I don't understand the game but it is vividly clear what an intense player she is!
Head down charging speed and hitting toughness. YEAH~~ Primo player. She gets some stick from some off field but stands up and shows her stuff. I like her. Like her a lot.
Whoa 😲. She's a BEAST! She's someone you don't wanna go up against lol. DAYUM.
This was my first time checking her out. I came here cuz I just watched a video of her crying and mentioned how her entire life she's dealt with bullies making fun of her for being seen as too masculine and not feminine. I don't know what those idiots are talking about.
This woman is FIT. She has to be in order to be great on the field. And from what I've just seen, she dominates any field she steps into. THAT is an athlete. Anyone who bullies her should be ashamed and embarrased of themselves.
Ilona is great the way she is. She is bringing home some medals for the U.S. She's a hard worker and it shows.
The last thing I'll say is that I wish we had rugby here in the U.S. the way we have football. That sport looks like so much fun to watch. And for me, it's the closest thing I'll see of women playing football. And how is flag football not a legit sport yet? I wanna see some girls rock that field. We can be rough and tough as the boys 💪😎 💯.
Just about every state university has some kinda rugby team, both mens and womens and ill sometimes even see it broadcasted on major sports outlets. I think its more popular in the West than in the East but its played accross the entire nation. In my region we have legit highschool programs as well as adult leagues. Rugby culture in the US may still be small and under the radar but it is extremely passionate. My state even has youth programs and camps and the college I played at just recently started offering scholarships for rugby players. It will never be as popular as football but I could totally see rugby being the next big womens sport kinda like how soccer is now. Men's rugby is decades behind the rest of the world but our women are at the forefront of the sport. I'm so happy we have such great ambassadors like Ilona.
Love this girl! She is an unstoppable force.
Some of these ladies are making a "Business Decision" when trying to tackle her!
the Australian NRLW need to sign her up.Ilona is the type of player who gets bums on seats....I would love to see her play in our domestic rugby league season👌👌🇭🇲🇭🇲🇭🇲
Still my favorite medal of the 2024 Olympics. And Ilona Maher just willed it into being. Who knew a Force of Nature wore a pony-tail?
Incredibly strong,fast, fit and from the look of things she is also seems to be a pretty nice person. Great role model for up-and-coming players :-)
She is so good! New Zealand loves Ilona, and we love our Rugby girls.
We are so lucky to have these Gals entertaining us more than the boys.
Ruby, Stacey, Ilona...nuff said!
YES, she is a true woman born of a great man she replies to her fans, I have chatted with her.
Such a new fan ! Ilona Maher , the stand out player of women's Rugby ! You beat my Ireland ! Well done ! The Jonah Lomu of women's Rugby 2024 ! What a strong woman !
I feel like she’s got bam bam Kam and Beast mode together in one package. My mouth dropped several times 😮
Women’s Rugby was the highlight of the olympics.
As a number 2, can say she plays with heart
There's a few different types of the Rugby but..... Rugby Union & Rugby League are the two main versions
Maher is strong as a bear and quick as a leopard! beautiful and terrifying.
She replied to my chat.
GAH DAMN!!! That chika is BEAST!! She puts those turbo boots on and GONE!!! I will 100% watch Women's Rugby now.
Well dang...now I've got to learn how rugby works.
We heard about the eagles winning games ,it peaked interest,so we watched and observed her not only scoring tries but preventing them,then we realized,oh,ok,we have to adjust our game plan
I didn't realize she'd played some XVs. Her and Kelter at 13 and 12 would be some force to be reckoned with!
Watching her play has brought me to the conclusion that she just might have the most effective fend in rugby. I admit that if she was playing men her percentage of involuntary sit downs would drop but she's not play against men.
I'd like to see how she looks wearing #8 on the 15s squad.
#8 - good call!
First rugby medal since US men won gold in Paris in 1924! Ilona probably has one more Olympics remaining.
Phenomenal!
Damm, she is a force! Defence and offence - great plays and effort.
What a powerhouse Maher is
Amazing!
Warrior Queen!
Awesome. But I do wanna see Joyce’s try save tackler on Maher. 2 greats.
@@michaeleliassen4520 I can’t include Olympic highlights due to copyright!
@@AndrewDavidForde darn!
She’s Derrick Henry and Roquan Smith rolled into one. She’s a beast.😊
Jasmine Joyce smashed her. She’s the most underrated women’s 7s player
I've doen a video on Jaz's best try savers: ua-cam.com/video/Yzakkj5pXuM/v-deo.html&pp=ygUNamFzbWluZSBqb3ljZQ%3D%3D
Joyce is ridiculously good for her size.
@@w0033944 for anyone’s size
@@AndrewDavidForde just watched brilliant
Amazing player. Patriot. Beautiful.
She is absolutely incredible! And I'm the 300th comment!
What she's done to raise the profile of rugby in this country has been insane to behold. Bristol's lucky to have her! She deserved a club after all she's done for Team USA!
she just throws these women around 😂
What a unit!
cannot wait to see her in the PWR...will be fascinating to see what position (s) she´ll end up playing
Honestly this is the new football
Dope video
I love your videos
The new end boss of women’s rugby
Be interesting to see where she plays playing in the 15s, would have to be loose forward or centres but I think having a 7s background and looser nature of that game inside centre would be a better position for her, it could provide her a lot more one on one opportunities
You just know greatness when you see it like MJ and Caitlin Clark and now Ilona
2:55 - boomfaaaa
I prefer League to Union but 7’s are great too. Hard hitting and fast action.👍
Portia Woodman CLEARS
Yup. I'll do the dishes.
Come get your flowers, Ilona. We love you here in Aotearoa New Zealand. You know, it's not a bad place to settle if you know what I mean ;)
Respectfully shes the jonah lomu of this sport absolutely love ilona ❤
:49 - To every idiot that talks about the NFL and cries about "how else are they supposed to tackle from behind". THIS IS THE ANSWER. You attack the upper legs, wrapping up, prioritizing getting arms around both legs so they can't keep balance.
Yeah, I'm glad there's a rule where you can't drop weight into an opponents legs. I was taught to tackle like this in 5th grade, so no excuse for an NFL player. Look...so easy a girl can do it
She and Derrick Henry got something in common. 😈😈😈😈Go Ravens Flock Nation!
Also she built different. It was really fun watching her play.
Well suited for the farm. Does she have plow experience?
Where can I watch a reply of the bronzer medal match? I’m having a hard time finding it.
@@belovedchild9812 dm me on instagram @andrewforderugby
I love when she puts her head down while running I guess she gets extra boost! 😂
What an athlete!
She is just a marvel to watch
She is amazing. I’m in love 😻
Elle est impressionnante! Je l'adore
Welcome to Bristol Bears!!!!!
She is a power house with speed to boot!!
So good
Ilona Maher in MMA 😮
What a women! 😊
Damn 😮, this girl is good !!
AMAZING! Proof women can be intelligent, beautiful and bad asses!
Way to represent Ilona! 🏉👑
Incredible athlete.
All field game = role model
Love how so often 1 person tries to tackle her, amd its like they throw themselves at a brick wall. Like no honey, bring 2 more friends and maybe you got a chance