Ilona Maher: Bristol Bears signs US star to play in PWR

American Olympic bronze medallist Ilona Maher has signed for Bristol Bears for the rest of the Premiership Women’s Rugby season.

Maher is the most followed rugby union player in the world on social media, with 4.5 million Instagram followers and 3.2 million on TikTok.

The utility back, who can play at centre or on the wing, has signed a three-month deal from January.

The 28-year-old has arrived in Bristol to begin training with her new team-mates this week, before returning to her native United States until the new year.

Bears head coach Dave Ward said Maher’s arrival is a “huge coup” for the club.

“Ilona is one of the biggest names in women’s sport, let alone rugby, and we believe she will add real value to our programme on and off the field,” said Ward.

“She is one of the standout stars in the sevens game and we can’t wait to see her play for Bears in XVs. Her ability ball-in-hand will give our attack a new dimension and her desire to star in the Rugby World Cup in England next summer is a huge driving force for her to achieve great things at Bears.

“Her profile as an athlete to inspire the next generation aligns exactly with ours as a club and we can only applaud the work she has and will do for the women’s game.”

The news comes as Maher returns to XVs for the first time since 2021, having focused on sevens for the past three years.

Speaking exclusively to BBC Sport, PWR chair Genevieve Shore said “we want the best athletes in the world playing in the PWR” and that Maher’s arrival had been arranged in “just a few weeks – it’s been fairly quick”.

Shore went on to describe Maher’s potential on and off the pitch as “endless”.

“She’s an incredible athlete, she’s an incredible rugby player, she was amazing at the sevens,” said Shore.

“I think she’ll also have an incredible impact in person, too. Think of all those little girls and boys who are going to pitch up to that first game and watch her play.

“I’m excited to see what that impact looks like.”