Team USA rugby star Ilona Maher makes Bristol Bears debut in front of record home crowd

BRISTOL, England — American rugby star Ilona Maher made her debut for the Bristol Bears women’s team in front of a record crowd of 9,240 fans on Sunday.

But Maher, “the most followed rugby player on the planet”, was unable to prevent Bristol from losing 40-17 to reigning champions Gloucester-Hartpury in a women’s Premiership rugby match.

She came on as a substitute in the 61st minute at Ashton Gate with Bristol trailing 28-10. Maher made his presence felt in a few rucks and looked for work on the wing, but was able to make little impact on the bigger picture in his 20 minutes on the field.

The previous record attendance for a Bristol women’s home match was 4,101 against Harlequins in May 2022. Such was the anticipation surrounding Maher’s debut that Bristol moved the match from a smaller venue to Ashton Gate to satisfy the demand for seats.

Maher, 28, who helped the United States win the bronze medal in rugby sevens at the Paris Games, has signed a three-month contract with Bristol in southwest England. She had started training with Bristol in December when the team announced the signing before returning to the United States for the holidays.

Maher has over 8 million followers combined on Instagram and TikTok. She was a finalist on the television show “Dancing with the Stars.”

The Vermont native returns to the 15-a-side game in hopes of boosting her chances of making the U.S. team for the 2025 Rugby World Cup in England. She can play on the wing or in the center.

Bristol also said the attendance was a record for a standalone Premiership match. League leaders Harlequins said they set a women’s rugby club attendance record on December 28, when 18,055 fans saw the team beat Leicester Tigers 42-17 at Twickenham Stadium. This was not a one-off match; this was part of a doubleheader with the Harlequins men’s team.