The star player hoping to turn millions of TikTok followers into rugby fans

Rugby player Ilona Maher has won over fans and admirers with her sporting talent.

But it is her message of body positivity that has attracted millions of followers on social media.

The 28-year-old American-born athlete regularly speaks out on TikTok and Instagram about body positivity and being a high-profile woman in sport.

Since the Paris Olympics, she has become one of the world's biggest rugby players, and it is hoped that her recent move to UK team Bristol Bears can further enhance the game's profile.

Although she played just 20 minutes as a substitute, her debut match last weekend drew a record crowd for the team, which led to the game being moved to a larger venue.

After the game, the star spent more than 90 minutes posing for photos and talking to fans.

Speaking to BBC Newsbeat after her debut match last weekend, Ilona said she was "honoured" to be a role model for young women and girls.

"My message to [girls] is to beautify yourself and make sure you're gentle with your body," she says.

"There will be days when it's hard to love it all the time but beautify it and do something to show what it can do for you, whether it's dancing, rugby or walking."

Aspiring athletes Zara and Millie, who came to watch the game, told Newsbeat Ilona, ​​"Just because you play a sport doesn't define who you are as a person."

"Ilona has changed the perception of body image, showing that you can be muscular, strong and powerful and wear clothes," says 16-year-old Zara.

"Just playing a sport doesn't define who you are as a person - how you look, how you act."I know a lot of young girls struggle with that."

Zara and her teammate Millie, also 16, play for North Bristol Rugby Club.

They both had to move to Bristol when they were 12 to continue playing due to a lack of local girls' teams.

"I've been playing rugby since I was about six and I played with boys until I was under-12, which is the age limit where you're not allowed to play with them anymore," says Zara.

An athletic body is "always seen as a masculine thing," adds Millie.

"[Ilona] is a role model for me because I'm quite tall and she's tall and she just shows the beauty of it and she's not ashamed of it."

For rugby union journalist and writer Jessica Hayden, Ilona's message of body positivity is breaking down an important barrier for women Sports.

"Half the problem is that they don't have the opportunity and there aren't opportunities for women or girls in the clubs," she told Newsbeat.

"The other half of the problem is that when they get to that age, there's a problem with body positivity."

And while there have been campaigns in the past to promote body confidence, Jessica says what makes Ilona successful is her authenticity.

"Personality is the most important thing in sports because people want to understand who this athlete is," she says.

"What I really enjoyed [after her debut] was seeing young women talking to her, about what Ilona has done for them, how they see their own bodies.

"And I'm sure those conversations are happening all over the country, about what she's doing for the sport."

Teammates Millie and Zara said they were excited by the enthusiasm Ilona is already bringing to the women's game.

A record-breaking crowd of 9,240 turned out to watch Ilona make her Premiership women's rugby debut when the Bristol Bears took on rivals Gloucester-Hartpury.

That was more than double the Bears' previous record attendance of 4,101 - not to mention the Premiership women's rugby record for a single game.

"She's had a huge impact," Zara said.

"They may not play rugby, they've never seen a rugby match, but because they follow her on Instagram and TikTok, they want to come and see her."

Jessica was also in the crowd and says he's "never seen anything like it."

"If you had all the fans who came to see Ilona Maher, they could become Bristol Bears fans and come back next week and the week after that," he says.