The U.S. women’s rugby sevens team recently earned their first Olympic medal, marking a significant milestone for the sport. This achievement is seen as a positive turn for women’s rugby, which has been overlooked for decades. Phaidra Knight, a former U.S. women’s rugby sevens player and World Rugby Hall of Fame inductee, emphasized the enormous impact of this win on the future of women’s rugby and rugby in America. Knight served as a rugby analyst and was part of NBC’s broadcast team for the Paris Olympic games.
Following their historic win, the sevens team received a $4 million donation from Michele Kang, owner of several women’s soccer clubs and an advocate for advancing women’s sports. Kang’s investment will be spread over four years in preparation for the 2028 Summer Olympics and may encourage more investors to support the sport. When Knight joined the U.S. National Rugby union team in 1999, there was no funding for players; they often had to pay camp fees and travel expenses out-of-pocket.
Funding disparities existed between men’s and women’s national rugby teams in the U.S., with men receiving more financial support despite similar achievements by women’s teams. Investments from philanthropic groups like the Golden Eagles have improved funding conditions, allowing current sevens players to receive salaries and focus on rugby full-time without having to pay to play. Despite these improvements, pay inequities still exist between women’s rugby players and their male counterparts, mirroring discrepancies seen in other sports like basketball (WNBA vs. NBA).
Optimism for the Future of Women’s Rugby
Knight is optimistic about the future of women’s rugby following this summer’s Olympic games, comparing its potential growth to that seen in women’s basketball due to increased attention and excitement around star players. She believes that with continued donations and sponsorships, more attention will be drawn to women’s rugby. The U.S. has won hosting rights for the 2031 Rugby World Cup, which could further boost interest in American rugby. Knight argues that while many decision-makers focused on men’s fifteens as America’s “sleeping giant” in rugby, it is actually women’s rugby that holds untapped potential.
Rugby at the 2024 Paris Olympics
The two main variants of rugby discussed are the 15-player (rugby union) and 7-player (rugby sevens). Both variants involve tackling, backward passes, scrums, scoring tries, and winning for their teams. Rugby union was first introduced in the Olympics during the 1900 Paris games but was discontinued after 1924. Rugby sevens was added to the Olympics during Rio 2016 and has been part of the games since then.
2024 Olympic Medal Winners
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, France won the gold medal, Fiji won silver, and South Africa won bronze. The sport consistently provides memorable images each year, encouraging men to chase each other down, embrace, tackle, and handle each other physically. This physicality is celebrated as an essential aspect of sports enjoyment.
Ilona Maher, an American rugby union player, has become a prominent figure in the sport. Born on August 12, 1996, in Burlington, Vermont, Maher participated in Little League softball and other activities during her early life. She attended Burlington High School and graduated from Quinnipiac University with a degree in nursing in 2018. Maher also earned a master’s degree in business administration from DeVry University in 2022.
Maher began playing rugby at age 17 with the South Burlington School Rugby Football Club. She previously played field hockey, basketball, and soccer at Burlington High School. Encouraged by her father, a former rugby player for Saint Michael’s College, Maher played center at Quinnipiac University and helped the team win three National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) championships. She was named to the NIRA All-American team each year and won the MA Sorensen Award in 2017.
International Representation and Olympic Success
Maher debuted for the United States women’s national rugby union team against Japan in 2018 and represented the U.S. at the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2020. She won a bronze medal with the U.S. Women’s Rugby Sevens team at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Maher has amassed a significant social media following, with around 2 million followers on Instagram and 1.9 million followers on TikTok. She uses her platform to advocate for body positivity and raise awareness of women’s sports.
Maher gave a TEDx Talk in 2022 on body positivity and related topics. She was announced as a brand ambassador for Secret deodorant in early August of an unspecified year and co-founded a skincare brand called Medalist. Maher recently went viral for addressing negative comments about her BMI on TikTok, clarifying that BMI is not an accurate measure of athletic capability or fitness level. She emphasized that BMI does not account for muscle mass or overall health.
Jonathan Davies Pays Tribute to Alun Carter
Jonathan Davies, known as “Jiffy,” expressed his shock and condolences over the death of former Wales international Alun Carter. Carter passed away at age 59 while out on a walk, leading to an outpouring of tributes from the rugby community. Born in Malpas, Newport, Carter had a 15-year senior career with two Wales caps and over 300 first-class appearances for various clubs.
South African Rugby Union Denies Siya Kolisi Reports
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) denied involvement in Springboks captain Siya Kolisi‘s rumored exit from French club Racing 92. Reports suggested Kolisi would leave Racing 92 one year into a three-year contract to return to South Africa with the Sharks leading the chase. SARU stated they are not involved in any conversations about buying out Kolisi’s club contract. Kolisi is reportedly unhappy in Paris, exacerbated by public criticism from Racing 92’s owner Jacky Lorenzetti.
All Blacks Scrum-Half TJ Perenara Set for Exit
TJ Perenara is set to leave New Zealand for a lucrative offer with Tokyo Black Rams in Japan Rugby League One. With Aaron Smith out of the picture, Perenara started as first choice but opted for security for his family with a three-year deal in Japan. He expressed confidence in his ability but acknowledged New Zealand’s depth at halfback. Perenara also has future coaching aspirations once his playing career ends.
Wallabies Coach Joe Schmidt Leaves Door Open for Will Skelton
Australia head coach Joe Schmidt left open the possibility of La Rochelle lock Will Skelton joining the Rugby Championship squad later if he proves his fitness. Skelton was missing from the initial Wallabies’ squad but could be added later or during their northern hemisphere tour. Schmidt prefers home-based players but hasn’t ruled out overseas-based ones entirely due to complications with non-standard Test windows.
Cory Brown’s Departure from NOLA Gold Rugby
Cory Brown, head coach of NOLA Gold Rugby, is leaving after one season with the team. Brown will be returning to New Zealand to continue his coaching career. Under Brown’s leadership, NOLA Gold had their most successful season in franchise history, making their first Major League Rugby playoff appearance and hosting a home playoff game against the Chicago Hounds. The team finished second in the Eastern Conference with a 10-6 record.
Brown’s Background and Future Plans
Cory Brown is from New Zealand and is a highly regarded rugby coach with an extensive international rugby career. He will be joining the Highlanders in New Zealand as an attack coach. Kane Thompson was the previous head coach of NOLA Gold, and Thompson and Taylor Howden served as assistant coaches in the 2024 season. NOLA Gold Rugby is currently searching for a new head coach following Brown’s departure.
Ilona Maher’s Critique of BMI
Before the Olympics, Maher responded to a critic about her BMI on TikTok, stating she has a BMI of around 29.3. She highlighted that despite being considered overweight by BMI standards, she is an Olympian. Maher has posted videos discussing the pain caused by hateful comments accusing her of being overweight or on steroids. She emphasizes that women can be strong and take up space without fitting traditional expectations of femininity.
Current BMI categories include healthy weight (BMI between 18.5 and 24.9), overweight (BMI between 25 and 29.5), obese (BMI between 30 and 34.9), class 2 obesity (BMI between 35 and 39.5), severe/class 3 obesity (BMI over 40), and underweight (BMI below 18.5). Critics argue that BMI lumps individuals into arbitrary categories, perpetuating misconceptions about body weight. Weight stigma remains deep-rooted despite backlash against fat-shaming.
Thomas Wadden explains how BMI can be misleading, especially in athletes or muscular individuals. An example is given of a young woman who might be classified as overweight due to muscle mass rather than fat. Maher shared details about her own body composition, emphasizing that her fitness level is not accurately represented by her BMI alone.
The American Medical Association (AMA) suggests using additional measurements like waist circumference, visceral fat measurements, body composition, and genetic factors along with BMI to determine health risks. The AMA notes that while correlated with fat mass in the general population, BMI loses predictability at the individual level due to its basis on data from previous generations of non-Hispanic white populations.
