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

U.S. Olympian Ilona Maher poses for a photo at the USA House at Paris 2024 on July 31, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for USOPC)

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.

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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.

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

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    ‘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.

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    “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.

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    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.

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    Comments

    1 Comment
    C
    CN 123 days ago

    I haven't seen much of her, is she really that good?

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    JW 4 hours ago
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    It really all depends of how much overseas players would be paid (by NZR) to play for the All Blacks. I’ve not heard a peep on this front from any author suggesting it’s a good idea.


    If it’s nothing (a player gets his weekly paycheck from the club and thats it (which we know is definitely not the case in Ireland and France, or SA even I think?), then maybe it would retain more SR level players given that they’ll be getting the “AB” component (which is about where things stand, Burke for instance would have had to had his Sader contract upgraded to an AB one (think above Pero levels) to be on similar money.


    I’d having to imagine if a player is getting paid to do nothing over the international windows though, they are going to want to get paid extra for appear for the ABs, so in this situation, it’s hard to see many players being retained, yes.


    I’m pretty sure they flew to Japan and met in person.


    I’ve heard/had these discussions numerous times. I don’t think theres anyway to judge the interest that would be retain in SR. For one, it might be a more entertaining league as a result, as the JRLO is compared to Europe, despite it obviously being a lesser standard.


    If SRP is of a lesser standard and now able to use Japanese and American players to bolster teams, perhaps those markets more than make up for the downturn in NZ and Aus? Perhaps it gives NZR flexibility to create a more fit for purpose interdomestic competition, and interest actually increases? All you might need is a proper pathway from school to pro?


    Razor asked NZR to keep an open mind. Did NZR answer any of these questions to themself?

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    J
    JW 6 hours ago
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    Yeah of course it can be, it manages a good commerical outcome when 100 million people are following it. I’m saying rugby is no where near even remotely close to getting the payoff you’re talking about, never mind the distinct lack of anyway to implement it.


    So you’re going for the dirty approach. I’m not surprised, it’s the only way to easily implement it right now. I wouldn’t see the benefit to doing that myself. A draft, if purely feasible in it’s own right, doesn’t need to provide commercial benefit at all (if it works, that’s all it needs to do, as it no doubt did back in america’s heyday). But without the advantageous backing of sponsors and interest levels, if you pick the wrong method to implement it, like a dirty approach, you do potential harm to it’s acceptance.


    The aspect’s of the approach you chose that I don’t like, is that the franchises are the ones spending the money of the U20’s only for there opposition to get first dibs. Personally, I would much prefer an investment into a proper pathway (which I can’t really see SR U20s being at all in anycase). I’m not exactly sure how the draft works in america, but I’m pretty sure it’s something like ‘anyone whishing to be pro has to sign for the draft’, and results in maybe 10 or 20% of those being drafted. The rest (that accumulative 80/90% year on year) do go back into club, pronvincial, or whatever they have there, and remain scouted and options to bring in on immediate notice for cover etc. You yes, you draw on everybody, but what is generating your interest in the drafties in the first plaec?


    This is your missing peace. If some come through school and into the acadamies, which would be most, you’ve currently got three years of not seeing those players after they leave school. Those that miss and come in through club, maybe the second year theyre in the draft or whatever, aged 20/21, you’re going to have no clue how they’ve been playing. NPC is a high level, so any that are good enough to play that would already be drafted, but some late bloomers you might see come in NPC but then Sky’s not going to broadcast that anymore. So what’s generating this massive interest you’re talking about, and most importantly, how does it tie in with the other 7 clubs that will be drafting (and providing) players outside of NZ?


    Is the next step to pump tens of millions into SRP U20s? That would be a good start for investment in the youth (to get onto international levels of pathway development) in the first place but are fans going to be interested to the same level as what happens in america? Baseball, as mentioned, has the minor leagues, if we use that model it hasn’t to be broad over the whole pacific, because you’re not having one draft right, they all have to play against each other. So here they get drafted young and sent out into a lower level thats more expansive that SR, is there interest in that? There would be for large parts, but how financially viable would it be. Twiggy tried to get a league started and NPC clubs joined. BOP and Taranaki want SR representation, do we have a mix of the biggest clubs and provinces/states make a couple of divisions? I think that is far more likely to fan interest and commerical capabilities than an U20 of the SR teams. Or ofc Uni fits a lot of options. I’ve not really read anything that has tried to nut out the feasability of a draft, it can certainly work if this spitballing is anything to go by, but I think first theres got to be a need for it far above just being a drafting level.

    36 Go to comments
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