Ilona Maher reacts to Bristol Bears' arrival at Shaftesbury Park before the match against Loughborough Lightning

Ilona Maher shared her reaction to the Bristol Bears' arrival at the Shaftesbury Park ahead of the team's PWR League game against the Loughborough Lightning. The 28-year-old Olympic bronze medalist had returned to the field after a short break, following an injury sustained during the game against the Leicester Tigers.

Maher uploaded a reel of the Bristol Bears' players, including herself, arriving at the park. She captioned it as:

"We really know how to dress @bristolbearswomen"

Screengrab of Ilona Maher's Instagram story [Image Source : Ilona Maher's Instagram]

The Bears fought hard, but their efforts weren't enough as they lost 22-31 against the Lightning. The team had previously played against the Trailfinders Women, losing narrowly by 38-39.

Maher couldn't play the match against the Trailfinders due to the injury she sustained in the game against the Tigers, which the Bears had won 43-29. Following that match, the Olympic bronze medalist had jokingly sent out an appeal to her followers on one of her Instagram videos.

"Guys stop fighting over me. There's enough to go around. What? I am a model. Yes. Thank you so much. Oh. You've already fallen in love, it'll pass."

Ilona Maher will next represent the Bristol Bears against the Exeter Chiefs Women at home, i.e. the Ashton Game stadium.

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Ilona Maher on her thoughts about Bristol before joining the Bears

Ilona Maher on her thoughts about Bristol city before joining the Bristol Bears [Image Source : Getty]

Ilona Maher joined the women's rugby team of Bristol Bears on a three-month contract in December 2024. This decision was made only a few months after she helped Team USA win the bronze medal in the women's rugby sevens at the Paris Olympics.

The 28-year-old opened up on her thoughts about the city Bristol before she joined the team. During her conversation with the YouTube channel 'For the Love of Rugby', Maher mentioned:

"I didn't know anything about Bristol, I knew it was a very happening town that's what everyone was saying, it's a very cool town to live in. So that was cool to hear as being approached by the Bristol Bears. You know I didn't know anything about it. I was like it's in England and they probably have sausage roll, that's it." [2:20 onwards]

Maher also talked about getting accustomed to British accents, as she further added:

"So different whereas in America I think we have some but it's very all similar like you go to in the South, it'll be different but you can't even understand these people in Yorkshire."

Maher joined the Premiership Women's Rugby League in order to prepare herself for the upcoming Women's Rugby World Cup. The tournament will be held in the 15-member format, contrary to the seven-member format Maher usually plays in.