US rugby hopes Ilona Maher will be part of England and Fiji DC doubleheader

Ilona Maher in action for the USA at the Olympics in Paris last year. Photograph: Walter Arce/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

Steve Borthwick’s England team will play in Washington DC in July, World Rugby and USA Rugby will formally announce on Tuesday, in a double-header that may see the superstar Ilona Maher run out for the US Eagles women against Fiji.

“The US is a rapidly growing rugby market with strong commercial and hosting interest ahead of the 2031 and 2033 Rugby World Cups,” said Brett Robinson, the World Rugby chair, announcing a 12-game US men’s and women’s summer schedule he said “reflects our ambition to … enhance performance, attract new audiences, and fuel rugby’s growth.”