Ilona Maher on joining Bristol: ‘I feel like the first day of school. I’m nervous. But this is what I love’

The US sevens superstar is turning to 15s in Premiership Women’s Rugby and says she may use a sports psychologist to deal with the added scrutiny

The deal is signed, sealed and delivered. Ilona Maher will play in the Premiership Women’s Rugby and she will be wearing Bristol Bears colours after the club went above and beyond to make sure the Olympic medallist could play in England. The USA international is a landmark signing in the PWR but she also says being the biggest name in rugby can add pressure on the pitch.

Maher went viral at the Tokyo Olympics and this year’s Paris Games, where she was a part of the first USA team to win a sevens medal when they defeated Australia in the bronze medal final. An appearance on Dancing with the Stars, in which she placed second with partner Alan Bersten, has added even more social media followers with a total of 4.6 million on Instagram and 3.3 million on TikTok. The 28‑year‑old spoke to a sports psychiatrist throughout the Olympics and says it may be something she continues to do when she moves to Bristol in the new year.

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