Ilona Maher is set to make her Bristol Bears debut off the bench on Sunday, with 8,000 fans expected at Ashton Gate for their Women's Super League rugby match against Gloucester-Hartpury.
The US rugby sevens star has signed with Bristol on a historic three-month contract and has 3.3 million followers on TikTok and 4.6 million on Instagram.
The 28-year-old rose to fame during the Tokyo 2021 Olympics when she posted videos on social media from inside the coronavirus-hit Olympic Village, and once again proved she is a key figure at the 2024 Paris Olympics as the USA won sevens bronze.
On Sunday, Maher will make his debut in a Bristol shirt after being named as 23rd among the substitutes for the visit of reigning PWR champions Gloucester-Hartpury.
“With a crowd of nearly 8,000 expected at Ashton Gate on Sunday, it's a very exciting occasion and we hope we give them something to cheer about,” Bristol coach Dave Ward said.
He added, “We realize the importance of the match in the context of our season and the quality of the defending champion, but we enter the match with confidence and enjoy the occasions and the challenge.”
Maher has joined the Bristol Bears on a three-month contract starting next January
World Rugby boss Alan Gilpin says he is convinced a skilled TikTok star is just what the sport needs as momentum builds towards this summer's World Cup in England.
“We know that these amazing young women come into the game with compelling personal stories, with really strong personalities, and they see the game as a great platform to build their own brands the way Ilona did,” Gilpin said.
“In fact, he's a great example of the men's game and I think that's what we need in rugby.
“We know there is this shift in fandom where fans follow individual players in the women's game, and certainly the platform we will give them at the Women's World Cup is the gateway to that.
“So we're really excited about what Ilona and so many other amazing women will bring next year.”
Maher hopes to represent the United States at next year's Rugby World Cup in England
Maher followed up her Olympic bronze in the sevens with an appearance in America Strictly Come Dancing vs, Dancing with the starswhere she reached the finals.
Gilpin added: “Ilona is unique in many ways because she is a pioneer in the women’s game, but there are a whole host of amazing women who will be playing in this tournament next year.
“Ilona has given everyone permission to go be themselves.”
Bristol Bears take on Gloucester-Hartpury at Ashton Gate on Sunday (12.45pm local time):
Bristol Bears: 15 Jasmine Joyce-Butchers, 14 Renica Bonner, 13 Courtney Kate, 12 Phoebe Murray, 11 Millie David, 10 Holly Aitchison (VC), 9 Fionn Lewis; 1 Hannah Putterman, 2 Lark Atkin-Davies, 3 Sarah Byrne, 4 Holly Cunningham, 5 Abby Ward (c), 6 Alisha Joyce-Butchers, 7 Evie Gallagher, 8 Ronita Marston-Mulhern.
Replacements: 16 Jess Sprague, 17 Simi Pam, 18 Holly Phillips, 19 Delaney Burns, 20 Gabriella Negrelli, 21 Tilly Ryall, 22 Meg Farley, 23 Ilona Maher.
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