The superstar American could play for the Bristol Bears in early January if selected.
Ilona Maher set the Premiership women’s rugby world on fire when she signed for Bristol Bears.
She signed in early December but confirmed she would not play her first game for the club until the new year. Bristol’s first game of 2025 is against Gloucester-Hartpury on January 5.
With the match being Maher’s first, demand for tickets meant the match was moved from Shaftsbury Park to Ashton Gate. The club has already sold a record number of tickets to a Bristol Women’s match.
However, Maher may not make his debut in the game. Bristol manager Dave Ward said he would not rush her onto the pitch. Maher has not played rugby since the 2024 Paris Olympics. She also hasn’t played 15 seconds since 2021.
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Maher himself has questioned whether he will play. “I want to make this clear. That could potentially be my debut but as we know rugby is a very tough sport.
“For the past few months, all I’ve done is dance. I didn’t receive any calls, and I didn’t run at full speed. So, I will try to prepare my body and be ready to play, but I can’t promise anything.”
If she fails to make her debut against Gloucester, her next opportunity will be against Exeter next weekend. Bristol’s next game is against Leicester Tigers on January 18.
Ilona Maher: Why did she move to Bristol?
Ilona Maher has signed with Bristol Bears ahead of the 2025 WRWC (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Maher won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, becoming the first American team member to win a medal in seven competitions.
She then took part in Dancing with the Stars, where she placed second with partner Alan Bersten. With more than 4.5 million followers on Instagram, many of her supporters wondered what her next move would be. One rumor was that she would be participating in the next season of The Bachelor.
Instead she signed with PWR team Bristol. Maher said he did so to be part of the 2025 Rugby World Cup squad. This is set to be a record-breaking tournament.
Maher is the most followed rugby player on the planet and her impact at Bristol is already being seen. The club has thousands of new followers and is selling more tickets since the announcement.
The PWR season ends in March, with the season shortened due to the Rugby World Cup. Maher’s contract at Bristol runs until the end of the season.
She said she would go back to being a 7-year-old, but teased in an interview with The Guardian that she could remain a 15-year-old beyond 2025.
“I guess we’ll just have to see how things go now,” she said. Who knows how this will turn out? What other opportunities come to mind?”
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