Ilona Maher and DWTS partner Alan Bersten make feelings known as they share differences in rugby & dance terminology

Ilona Maher and her Dancing With The Stars partner Alan Bersten shared a hilarious video highlighting the differences and similarities in their professions. Maher is a prominent rugby union player, while Bersten is a professional dancer.

The two were dance partners on the 33rd season of Dancing With The Stars, where they finished as runners-up. They also performed on the show's live tour, which concluded last month.

Ilona Maher represented Team USA in Rugby Sevens at the Paris Olympics, helping the team win its first ever bronze medal. Maher began playing rugby at the age of 17, and quickly made a name for herself. She made her breakthrough at Quinnipiac University, where she won three National Intercollegiate Rugby Association titles and also earned the MA Sorensen Award, given to the best women's rugby player in collegiate rugby.

Maher and Bersten shared a video on Instagram, highlighting the similarities and differences between their respective professions, namely rugby and dance. The video consisted of Bersten asking Maher about certain terms which closely relate to dance and rugby, such as intermission and half-time, costume and jersey, and more.

"Little bit of a language barrier when it comes to our professions"

Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten first met on DWTS' 33rd season, when the former, who was a celebrity contestant, was introduced to her dance partner for the first time.

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Ilona Maher: The sport of rugby needs 'more faces'

Ilona Maher at the Allianz Premiership Women's Rugby Semi Final - Source: Getty

Ilona Maher made her feelings known about being one of the faces of women's rugby. She is one of the most widely recognized rugby players in the world, and went viral at the Paris Olympics for sharing a few hilarious behind-the-scenes videos from the Olympic village. Maher has also been an advocate for body positivity and mental health.

In an interview with The Telegraph in March 2025, Maher discussed being one of the faces of rugby and talked about growing the game.

“At times I feel like I’m being wrung dry, because rugby is trying to get as much out of me as possible. I love it, but I want some more out there. Sometimes I get tired. I’m like, ‘Man, we got to have more faces of rugby’. I’m honored to be it, but also it’s not enough to just have me as the face of it.

"People have been calling me the ‘superstar of rugby’. I love that, I think that’s awesome, but we need to have more superstars coming up because we want people to come to the games. To be the face of a sport that is a historically male sport is also really cool, and helping it to grow in the women’s sphere.”

Ilona Maher is one of the most followed rugby players in the world, and has over eight million followers combined on platforms such as Instagram and Tiktok.