"Don't even get us started" - Ilona Maher shows off Rugby players 'repping out' ahead of PWR Playoffs

Ilona Maher showed off the intense weight training of rugby players ahead of the Bristol Bears' semifinal clash against the Gloucester-Hartpury. The Olympic medalist is playing in her first season with the Bears.

Maher shared a video of her Bears teammates doing the weight exercise and took a shot at the critics of the sport, writing:

"Everyone thinks they're strong until they see what rugby players are repping out."

The two-time Olympian then boasted about the speed of rugby players and wrote in the caption:

"Don’t even get us started on how fast they also are."

Maher joined Bears after finishing runner-up on Dancing With The Stars last year. She made her debut in January last month against Gloucester-Hartpury before scoring an assist and a try on her full PWR debut against the Exter Chiefs.

Maher signed a three-month contract with the Bears to prepare for the 2025 World Cup. She last played the Rugby 15s in 2021 and is working to become the best available player for Team USA.

"I want to pursue this World Cup thing, I want to be the best player that Team USA needs or that they deserve," Ilona Maher told People.

While her preparations are going great, with the Bristol Bears coach revealing she is "getting better and better", the 28-year-old is set to play in the semifinals against Gloucester-Hartpury on March 2.

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"I love being a superstar but that's not enough for the sport" - Ilona Maher

Ilona Maher during the Harlequins v Bristol Bears - Source: Getty

Ilona Maher's debut with the Bristol Bears saw a massive 9,240 fans in attendance at the Ashton Gate, breaking the Bears' previous record of 4,101 as well as the all-time PWR record for a standalone game. While Maher appreciated the support, and acknowledged her superstar status, the 28-year-old suggested that rugby as a sport was sill very behind.

"It's almost - I feel - my duty. They're doing so much, so I want to do more for them," Ilona Maher told BBC. "That's my goal - I love being a superstar and people call me the superstar of rugby but that's not enough for the sport, we can't just have one superstar."

"We need to have more, we need to have people connecting with so many different players and that is what will grow our game," Ilona Maher added.

Maher is the most followed rugby player in the world and has been the face of women's rugby following her rise to popularity through TikTok at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.