When will Ilona Maher make her Premiership Women’s Rugby debut?

Ilona Maher could make her Premiership Women’s Rugby against Gloucester-Hartpury on January 4, although Bristol Bears head coach Dave Ward insisted it would be “stupid” to rush her into action.

Maher has completed a short-term move to the Bears as she attempts to win a place in USA’s Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 squad.

The sevens star, the most-followed rugby player on social media, met her new team-mates for the first time on Monday and will spend the week in Bristol before watching Bears in action against Exeter Chiefs at Ashton Gate on Saturday.

‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025

‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025

Following the match, Maher will head home to America armed with a fitness programme designed by her new club.

Ward and his coaching staff will evaluate her on her return to Bristol at the beginning of January before deciding whether to include her in the squad for the West Country derby.

“She’ll be back [in Bristol] literally, I think either New Year’s Day or the second. We’ve then got to assess where she is,” Ward said on Tuesday.

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“We’ll train Thursday and Friday and then we’ve got Gloucester on the Sunday. If everything goes perfectly, she could be involved in that Gloucester game.

“But it has to be perfect. I want to make no bones about it, it has to be really perfect.

“If not, we’ll have another look at her and then obviously we’ve got Exeter the following Sunday or even Leicester the following Saturday after that.

“The one thing we’d be stupid to do is rush her back in when she’s not ready.”

 

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Following this weekend’s encounter with league-leading Exeter, Bristol host Sale Sharks at Shaftesbury Park on December 15 before travelling to StoneX Stadium to take on Saracens the following Saturday.

Should Maher not be deemed ready to be included in the squad to play Gloucester-Hartpury, then her maiden appearance could come against Exeter at Sandy Park on January 12 or Leicester Tigers at Shaftesbury Park six days later.

News of Maher’s arrival has already given Bears a boost on social media, with the number of followers of the club’s official Instagram page roughly doubling to almost 43,000 within hours of the announcement.