USA star Ilona Maher joins Bristol Bears in England ahead of Women’s Rugby World Cup
The Olympic rugby sevens bronze medallist signed for the English rugby club with the hopes of reigniting her 15s career in time for next year's 2025 Rugby World Cup.
United States rugby sevens star Ilona Maher will join Bristol Bears in January for the rest of the English Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) season.
The 28-year-old, who helped lift Team USA to bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympics, hopes the short-term move will bolster her chances of playing in next year’s 15-a-side Women’s Rugby World Cup, being held in England.
"I am excited to join the Bristol Bears and put myself in the best position to earn a spot to represent the USA in the 2025 Rugby World Cup alongside such a talented and driven group as the Bears," Maher said in the club announcement.
Maher enjoyed viral fame in the seven-a-side format of the game at Tokyo 2020 in 2021, before becoming a household name in Paris thanks to her achievements on the pitch and her savvy social media presence away from it.
She is the most followed rugby player in the world - female or male - with over seven million followers across her social media platforms. Just last month, she finished as the runner-up in the US version of ‘Dancing With the Stars’ with partner Alan Bersten.
Maher’s three-month contract will begin at the start of 2025, with Bristol’s first game of the new year scheduled to be at home against Gloucester-Hartpury on January 4. It'll be her first time playing 15s since 2021.