Ilona Maher steams up camera in sizzling leopard bikini for 'SI Swimsuit' cover

Different athletes and, of course, actresses like Salma Hayek have graced the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit covers over the years. But Ilona Maher just might have cemented a new space for athletes: rugby star.

Maher dropped some incredible photos from her photo shoot for the magazine. She shared a couple of them on her Instagram account on Monday, May 19. In them, Maher looks absolutely fabulous while wearing a leopard bikini.

As you can tell in the post itself, Maher shared the praise for her looks with all of those involved in her photo shoot. It's pretty impressive to look at how many people played a role in getting her to look marvelous.

Maher loves playing rugby. She just might have set a new standard, though, for other female athletes from her sport to earn magazine cred. Fans of her and others in the SI Swimsuit world can check out the photos not only in the magazine itself but online across social media platforms. Also, don't be surprised if Maher graces these pages again in the future.