Social media sensation a hit in Premiership

NEWS: United States Sevens star and social media sensation Ilona Maher made her eagerly anticipated debut for Bristol in the English women’s Premiership on Sunday but could not prevent defeat for her new side.

The versatile American back, who won Olympic bronze at the 2024 Paris Games, has more than eight million followers across Instagram and TikTok, making her the world’s most-followed player.

The 28-year-old, who has signed a three-month contract with Bristol, was also a runner-up in the most recent series of the US television show Dancing With The Stars.

Maher’s presence for the game against champions Gloucester-Hartpury generated a Bristol record crowd of 9,240 for a women’s game.

She came off the bench for the final 20 minutes at Ashton Gate to huge cheers but was unable to make a major impact and Bristol went down to a 17-40 loss ,but Maher spent more than an hour after the game signing autographs and posing for pictures.

“I love being a superstar,” she said.

“People call me a superstar of rugby, but that’s not enough for the sport.

“We can’t just have one superstar, we need to have more, we need to have people connecting with so many different players, and that is what will grow our game.

“Right now, it seems to be ‘Oh, it’s Ilona Maher, we’ve got to get her in this, this and this’. That’s where I want to bring these teammates up.”

She added: “I am always trying to get my teammates from the US sevens up.

“During the Olympics, so many of them put media out there and grew their following.

“I have seen the power in it, I’ve seen the power of people connecting with the individual and then going to a sport.”

Maher has not played the 15-a-side game since 2021, but is aiming to gain selection for the US squad for the women’s World Cup, taking place in England later this year.

Her arrival at the English Premiership club has boosted replica shirt sales, while Bristol’s instagram following has soared from 21,000 to 67,000.