In early July, in Washington DC, the head of World Rugby talked about the need for a “Caitlin Clark effect”: the advent of a talent so huge it gives a sport rocket fuel, powering it to the front of the American mind.
“That’s a great example of the power of personality in women’s sport,” Alan Gilpin said of the basketball star. “We may see a bit of that with what Ilona Maher is doing around the Olympics.”
Weeks later, we did. Maher achieved lift-off in Paris, her play and her social media presence combining to make her by at least one metric the most-followed rugby player in the world.
Jason Kelce got involved and so did Flavor Flav. But things got even better: Maher and the rest of the Eagles women made it all the way to a medal.
When Great Britain were beaten in the quarter-finals, coach Emilie Bydwell’s delighted reaction – as the only woman head coach in the event – made waves among the memes. Alas, New Zealand proved too strong in the semis, though not without Alev Kelter and Kristi Kirshe scoring fine tries and Kirshe pulling off a spectacular try-saving tackle.
The Kiwis beat Canada for gold but as big as the whole women’s event was for rugby, with unprecedented crowds and exposure, the Eagles’ win over Australia for bronze may prove the biggest moment of all.
With seconds left, the Americans were down 12-7. Then Alex “Spiff” Sedrick struck. Breaking two tackles, the 26-year-old out of Life University, Georgia, a powerhouse of the college game, hurtled 90-some metres to score. Her conversion won bronze but it was a moment of pure Olympian gold.
On social media, USA Rugby celebrated with a striking picture of Maher, roaring in celebration. Retweeting it, Women’s Elite Rugby, a planned US 15-a-side professional league that works under the apt handle @rugbyevolved, said: “Did you love watching rugby but not quite understand it all just yet? That’s OK!” Then it appended a short informational video, explaining rugby sevens.
In America, such are the building blocks that must be carefully placed. From America, many who have placed such blocks, and continue to do so, looked on in celebration.
Katherine Aversano, vice-president of WER and women’s coach at Howard University, said the bronze was “something that all women in rugby can be excited about”, adding: “We know that rugby has everything US sports fans like – hard hits, big personalities, exciting scores, and down-to-the-wire games. And based on social media engagement, people want to know more about rugby, the laws (rules), where to watch, how to buy gear, and how to get their kids playing.”
Steve Lewis, a vastly experienced coach in women’s sevens who has worked with many in the US squad and now runs Elevate Rugby, his own grass-roots effort, also saw a possible “breakthrough moment.
“The exposure generated by this success can drive corporate interest and investment, with more young girls and boys wanting to play, more programmes producing more coaches and a virtuous cycle driving standards ever upward on the way to the Rugby World Cups of 2031 and 2033.
“This is a tipping point for the sport in sport’s biggest market and we have the USA womens sevens team to thank for it.”
As Lewis would be first to admit, hard work remains to be done on the road to those World Cups, the men in 2031 and the women two years later.
But women’s rugby is already as strong in the US as it is anywhere else. As the US Women’s Rugby Foundation shows in glorious detail, the history is rich and varied. From collegiate roots in the 1970s – the tale of the Ohio State Iron Ovaries rewards study – to the Eagles winning the first 15-a-side World Cup in 1991, American women have blazed many trails. That the women’s bronze success in Paris should now fuel the transformation of all forms of the game just stands to reason.
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And lo, in the aftermath of the win over Australia, USA Rugby announced a “transformative gift” from Michele Kang, “owner of the Washington Spirit, Olympique Lyonnais Féminin and London City Lionesses women’s soccer clubs”.
Through Kynisca Sports International, Kang will give $4m to the US women’s sevens team over the four years to the 2028 Olympics, to be held in LA.
Kang called 2024 “a banner year for women’s sports with record-breaking attendance and viewership, and women’s rugby is no exception”. She saluted an Eagles team “led by players like Ilona Maher and co-captains Lauren Doyle and Naya Tapper [that] has captivated millions of new fans, bringing unprecedented attention to the sport”.
She said: “As corporate sponsors and broadcast networks increasingly see the value and enthusiasm for women’s sports, now is the moment to unlock the full potential of these incredible female athletes and inspire generations to come.”
It was momentous news. But on a much less exalted level, at the very muddiest grass roots, this writer’s thoughts were turning to ways to keep his own daughters engaged.
Aged seven, nine and 11, those three girls have just finished a first season of mixed tag sevens with the superbly, passionately organised Maryland Exiles, out of Bethesda in the DC suburbs. Shown Ilona Maher in full flow, or Sammy Sullivan, a US army captain, relentless in defence, all three want to see more.
So what next? Finding Caitlin Clark content and merchandise is easy. After Paris, finding Ilona Maher content is easy too. Merch would be good. I want to take my girls down to the park to throw a ball around, the three of them wearing Maher’s name and number, or Tapper’s, or Sullivan’s, or those of any other Eagle. I want my girls to put up posters of the Americans with their Olympic medals.
Thanks to the women’s Olympic Eagles, such engagement is within reach. It’s up to all in American rugby, and all in the world game, to get together and grab it.
