Viral rugby sensation Ilona Maher made her debut for Bristol Bears on Sunday, January 5, after being signed to the team back in December 2024.
Maher, who has previously represented the United States team in both the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, has become a favourite in the rugby world, not only due to her skill in the sport but also thanks to her presence on social media where she shares her journeys as an athlete and advocates for body positivity.
Her popularity has drawn massive attention to women’s rugby, and she is the most followed rugby player on Instagram. Maher’s ability to increase support and viewership for women’s rugby has been dubbed the ‘Ilona Maher effect’ by many.
And the effect was in full swing on Sunday, after her debut performance broke the attendance record for Bristol Bears by almost double. Ashton Gate saw 9,240 attendees, which also broke the crowd record for a standalone Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) regular-season match. The previous attendance record was 4,101 against Harlequins in May 2022.
Maher came on as a substitute in the 61st minute, which was met with an eruption from the crowd who had been eagerly anticipating her debut.
On social media, attendees shared their excitement around the match.
But the excitement around Maher couldn’t help the Bears against Gloucester-Hartpury, who won the match in a final score of 17-40.
The result sees Gloucester move to second in the table, whilst the Bears are in fifth.