Ilona Maher: Bristol coach predicts US rugby star will be devastating

English rugby is not ready for the impact American star Ilona Maher will have on the pitch, says Bristol Bears coach Dave Ward.

Maher, who won an Olympic sevens bronze medal in Paris in the summer, begins a three-month deal with the Bears in January.

The 28-year-old is a huge social media figure, with 4.5 million Instagram followers and 3.2 million on TikTok, but Ward says that more important to him is the new dimension Maher will add to his team.

“She’s going to shock people when she plays 15s,” said Ward.

“I think she is going to be devastating. She is someone with the pace of [England and Ealing Trailfinders wing] Abby Dow, the size of [England and Bristol second row] Abbie Ward, and a step.

“You’ve got a fantastic rugby player there. She is going to be a massive asset to our game and give us a completely different dynamic.

“Everyone knows about the social media following and that is all well and good, but, from my perspective, we saw a world-class rugby player who wanted to come and play 15s and was looking for the best league and hopefully the best programme.

“That is what we wanted to represent.”

Maher, who appeared on US television show Dancing With The Stars, will return home for Christmas before starting training in earnest with Bristol in the new year.

However, she was involved in a skills sessions with her new team-mates on Monday and, despite having had four months away from the sport, impressed Ward with her passing, conditioning and enthusiasm.