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Ilona Maher opened up on her experience about her debut with Bristol Bears in their game against Gloucester Hartpury on Sunday, January 5. Maher came fresh off a runners-up finish at the Dancing With the Stars reality show and signed a contract with the Premiership Women's Rugby team.
Maher, who represented Team USA at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, contributed to the US women's Rugby Sevens bronze finish at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Shortly after her stint on the dancing reality show, Dancing with the Stars, Ilona Maher signed a contract with the PWR team, Bristol Bears.
She debuted with the Bears team in a match-up against Gloucester-Hartpury on Sunday and a record 9,240 fans flocked to Ashton Gate stadium to watch her live. Maher played for only 20 minutes with the Bears losing 40-17 to the defending champions.
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Despite the loss, the 28-year-old issued a strong message after her game, writing:
"7’s is a battle but 15’s is a war - myself speaking real philosophical after my first 15’s game in a while," her Instagram post caption read.
Though Ilona Maher was happy with the impact she created, attracting so many people to the sport, she doesn't want to be the only 'superstar' (via BBC):
"I've seen the power of people connecting with the individual and then going to the sport...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," Maher said.
She named Holly Aitchison, Jaz Joyce, and Evie Gallagher as players who could be at the helm of popularity for the Bears team and attract a wider fanbase to rugby.
Ilona Maher on her game mindset - "Each game I'm going to learn more and more"
Ilona Maher joined the PWR to vie for the 2025 Rugby World Cup. Despite playing in the Olympics, Ilona Maher felt pressured before her call at Sunday's game but quickly regained her confidence after stepping on the field. Reflecting on her debut, Maher said (via BBC):
"Once I did get on the field I felt like 'this is rugby', something I've been doing for the past 10 years now, something that is in my blood I think, so I felt really confident once I got there."
She further said she plans to learn as much as possible with each game and prepare for the next.
"Each game I'm going to learn more and more. You do learn more by losing, but it puts a fire in you for the next game."
Ilona Maher graced the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue for the 2025 fold and was named in the Forbes 30 under 30 list after her Paris Olympic success. Meanwhile, her PWR team Bristol Bears are set to take on Exeter Chiefs Women on January 12, Sunday, at Sandy Park.
