Ilona Maher's impact is already being felt at Bristol - and her arrival could be a landmark moment for the sport
Maher was one of the stars at Paris 2024 and her influence both on and off the pitch could be game-changing
©Mike Lee - KLC fotos for World Rugby
A tweet from TRU favourite and freelance sports journalist Joe Harvey spoke a thousand words.
'Right, Ilona Maher, USA Rugby and Bristol Bears Women on the 6pm BBC News. Never thought I’d see the day. Wow.'
This week, the arrival of USA sevens sensation Ilona Maher into Premiership Women's Rugby feels like it could be a game-changer for the sport in this country.
The 28-year-old is already having an impact on these shores before she has even picked up a ball for the Bears as her highly-anticipated debut - which could be on January 5th against Gloucester-Hartpury - has been moved from Shaftesbury Park to Ashton Gate following an increased demand for tickets.
A statement released by Bristol on Wednesday said: “Due to unprecedented demand, Bristol Bears Women’s West Country derby clash with Gloucester-Hartpury has been switched to Ashton Gate and will now be played on Sunday, January 5th."
The profile of Maher rose at the Tokyo Olympics but more so at this year's Paris Games as the USA team clinched their first-ever sevens medal.
Off the pitch, her stock continued to rise with an appearance on 'Dancing with the Stars' and Maher now has 4.6 million followers on Instagram. She has captivated fans with her on-field flair and off-field personality.
Her influence on the game has the potential to be seismic and Bristol boss Dave Ward didn’t hold back in his enthusiasm for the addition of Maher to his squad.
"I believe that the PWR is the best league in the world. If she’s going to play for one of the teams in the league, why not us? And that’s kind of where we went with it," he said.
"I think, from my perspective, we just saw a world-class rugby player who basically expressed that they wanted to come and play fifteens.
"In terms of those intangibles and the social media side of things, I think you’ve spoken for as long as I have about trying to grow the game - It’s about making it exciting for people to come along. This is just another step down that road."
"To be fair, I think everyone’s giddy and rightly so. She’s an icon, isn’t she?," added Bears and England fly-half Holly Aitchison. "Like she’s bigger than this sport right now. We need those people in our game.”
Bristol Bears assistant coach Tom Luke was the first to suggest the idea of recruiting Maher, one of the standout players for the USA in Paris.
Although this marked her second Olympic appearance - and she is a star in the shorter format of rugby with a massive social media following of around 8 million - moving to England was not straightforward.
Maher’s limited experience in Test rugby - her only two caps were earned in November 2021- meant she didn’t meet the requirements for an international visa to play in the PWR.
Ward acknowledged that their initial attempts to secure a visa for her were ‘knocked back a few times’, but the club persisted.
Luke and Ward enlisted the help of Bears men’s team manager Jack Targett and eventually received assistance from PWR and the Rugby Football Union.
The matter ultimately went to an appeal panel, which provided the necessary “governing body endorsement.” According to Ward, Luke played a pivotal role in the process.
"Tom was the driving force behind the signing,” Ward explained. "I’ve never seen someone pick up visa law so quickly, which was quite impressive! He said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we could try and get her involved at Bears? I think she’d be an amazing asset for us.
"I knew he was serious. It was, ‘OK, then what happens next?’ I’d heard rumours that other clubs had reached out to her, so I knew it was on people’s radar, but I didn’t know how far along they’d gotten.
"We went straight into investigation mode. How do we contact her? She doesn’t follow me or Tom on Instagram!"
The process involved extensive research, consultations, and coordination. Ward and Luke connected with Targett, who had experience in handling visa applications for the men’s team.
A team effort ensued to craft a compelling case, which was initially rejected but later accepted on appeal.
The effort seems to have paid off. Maher met her new teammates on Monday and immediately made an impression. While the initial plan was for her to ease into the environment, she fully participated in the training session.
"She was flying around, she’s in great condition,” Ward said. “It doesn’t feel like you’ve got a massive celebrity in the room… She’s super cool and super chill, so it’s been really good."
While her social media following is widely discussed, Ward stressed that their focus was on her rugby ability.
"We just saw a world-class rugby player who said, ‘I want to come and play 15s. Where’s the best league and hopefully the best program?’ That’s what we wanted to represent.”
Questions about Maher’s role during her stay have emerged. Ward shared insights from his conversations with USA head coach Sione Fukofuka and revealed plans to ease her into the team on the wing, with a possible move to the centres or back row.
For her development, Fukofuka also hopes Maher can learn forward skills, including being lifted in lineouts, making her a potential hybrid option.
Ward said: "This week has been an integration week. Just bringing her in to meet the players. She’s met all the characters we’ve got in the room. The team were so excited to meet her, I’ve never seen them so energised! So, I think everyone is really pumped.
"I think it’s great she’s making friends and she’s getting to know the place. She wants and needs to know how we operate as well. We’re just going to make sure she’s ready.
"She hasn’t played for nearly four months, so we’ll do a tiny bit of contact this week, but again only technical stuff to get her back into the swing of things. We’ll start the process officially in January.
"We want to make sure we’re doing the best thing for her because we want her to have a real big impact when she comes in and take our team to another level. We have some pretty good players already.
"I think she’ll add a new dimension to wherever she plays. The easiest option would be to come in on the wing for us certainly, because you’re going to get the ball a couple of times a game.
"With Ilona, we’ve seen her already do some pretty spectacular things. She can start moving in from the wing off the back of that. She did a skill session with us where she was ripping the balls off her right and left hand, just as well as Phoebe Murray.
"She wants her hands on the ball as much as possible, and if that means we put her at number 8 or 6, as that second ball-carrying option, it’ll be devastating for any team.
"If you look at the wingers we have at the moment, you’d probably say we’ve got three of the fastest in the game with Reneeqa Bonner, Millie David and Jasmine Joyce-Butchers. Ilona matches their pace and has the size as well.
"I’m quietly hoping that she shocks a lot of people in those first few Premiership games. Her experience with USA 7s on the world stage, her athleticism, and her ability to adapt make her a tremendous asset for us as we push to reach new heights this season.
"Ilona is going to attend the game this weekend [v Exeter Chiefs], but she’s not playing. She’s going home for Christmas but will be back in Bristol, I think either New Year’s Day or the second.
"We’ve then got to assess where she is. We’ll train Thursday and Friday and then we’ve got Gloucester on the Sunday. If everything goes perfectly, she could be involved in that Gloucester game but it has to be perfect. I want to make no bones about it, it has to be really perfect. The one thing we’d be stupid to do is rush her back in when she’s not ready."
A cultural fit and the bigger Bristol picture
A standout reason for Maher moving to the PWR is because of the 2025 Rugby World Cup which is being held in England next year.
Her rugby resume along with her charisma and magnetic personality have made her an icon, and Ward views this as a unique strength.
“She’s authentic, and that’s exactly what we value here at Bristol. We’re not just building a team. We’re building a community. Ilona brings energy, positivity, and that spark that resonates both on and off the field."
Maher’s signing is part of a larger strategy by Ward to bring international expertise into a team already brimming with homegrown talent.
The Bears have had a mixed start to the season [sitting fourth in the PWR standings] and the addition of someone like Maher could be the catalyst they need to push themselves into contention for silverware.
“We want to compete with the best, and to do that, you need players who have been at the highest level. Ilona’s experience against the top teams in the world will not only help us in games but also raise the standards in training.
The signing of Maher isn’t just about the here and now. It’s a statement about where Bristol Bears Women see themselves in the future.
Bringing in a player of Maher’s calibre signals the club’s ambition to become a powerhouse in women’s rugby, capable of attracting top talent from around the world.
"This is a big moment for us as a club," Ward added. "Ilona Maher is just the beginning. We’re building something special here, and I can’t wait for our supporters to see what this team is capable of."
