In Bristol, England, U.S. rugby sensation Ilona Maher made her highly-anticipated debut with the Bristol Bears women’s team in front of a record home crowd of 9,240 spectators on Sunday.
Despite Maher’s arrival, deemed “the most followed rugby player in the world,” the Bears suffered a 40-17 defeat against the reigning champions, Gloucester-Hartpury, in a Premiership Women’s Rugby match.
Maher entered the game as a substitute in the 61st minute with Bristol already behind 28-10. While she did have a few noteworthy contributions in rucks and sought opportunities along the wing, her 20 minutes on the field failed to shift the flow of the game significantly.
The former record attendance for a Bristol women’s home match was set at 4,101 fans during a game against Harlequins in May 2022. The immense excitement surrounding Maher’s debut led the club to shift the match venue to Ashton Gate from a smaller location to accommodate the overwhelming demand for tickets.
At 28 years old, Maher played a crucial role in leading the United States to a bronze medal in rugby sevens at the recent Paris Games and has inked a three-month deal with the Bristol team. She began training with Bristol back in December, following the announcement of her signing, but took a break to return home to the U.S. for the holiday season.
Maher boasts a massive following of over 8 million across her Instagram and TikTok platforms, and she gained additional fame as a runner-up on the popular TV show “Dancing With The Stars.”
Hailing from Vermont, Maher is making her return to the 15-a-side format of rugby with hopes of enhancing her prospects for joining the U.S. squad in the upcoming Rugby World Cup to be held in England in 2025. She is versatile enough to play both wing and center positions.
Furthermore, the match’s attendance was noted as a record for a standalone game in the Premiership. In contrast, while the league-leading Harlequins reported an attendance record of 18,055 during a game against Leicester Tigers on December 28, that event was part of a doubleheader featuring the men’s Harlequins team, thus setting a different standard for attendance records.
