Team USA rugby star Ilona Maher makes Bristol Bears debut in front of record home crowd
U.S. rugby star Ilona Maher made her debut for the Bristol Bears women’s team in front of a record home crowd of 9,240 fans on Sunday.
BRISTOL, England — U.S. rugby star Ilona Maher made her debut for the Bristol Bears women’s team in front of a record home crowd of 9,240 fans on Sunday.
But Maher, “the most followed rugby player on the planet,” could not prevent Bristol from losing 40-17 to defending champion Gloucester-Hartpury in a Premiership Women’s Rugby match.
She came on as a substitute in the 61st minute at Ashton Gate with Bristol trailing 28-10. Maher made her presence felt in a couple of rucks and looked for work off the wing but could make little impact to the overall picture in her 20 minutes on the field.
The previous attendance record 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 relocated the match from a smaller venue to Ashton Gate to satisfy demand for seats.
The Bristol Bears' Ilona Maher tackles Gloucester-Hartpury's Rachel Lund on Sunday.Bob Bradford - CameraSport / CameraSport via Getty ImagesThe 28-year-old Maher, who helped lead the U.S. to the bronze medal in rugby sevens at the Paris Games, has signed a three-month contract with Bristol in southwestern England. She had begun training with Bristol in December when the team announced the signing before going back to the United States for the holidays.
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