BRISTOL, England (AP) — Ticket sales have broken a record ahead of U.S. rugby star Ilona Maher making her debut for the Bristol Bears women’s team.
The Olympic bronze medalist won’t be in the starting lineup, however, when the Bears face defending champion Gloucester-Hartpury on Sunday in a Premiership Women’s Rugby match switched from a smaller venue to Ashton Gate to satisfy demand for seats.
Bristol’s matchday lineup announced on Friday includes the 28-year-old Maher on the bench — the American only returned to England on New Year’s Day.
“I don’t care if it’s freezing cold, come out and support some great rugby,” Maher wrote on Instagram before the lineup was released.
Maher, who helped lead the U.S. to the bronze medal in rugby sevens at the Paris Games, signed a three-month contract that started this week. She had begun training with Bristol in December when the team announced the signing before going back to the United States for the holidays.
The signing of Maher, the “ most followed rugby player on the planet,” immediately boosted Bristol’s ticket sales. Close to 8,000 fans are expected Sunday, blowing away the previous attendance record for a Bristol women’s home match of 4,101 against Harlequins in May 2022.
Maher has more than 8 million followers combined on Instagram and TikTok. She was a runner-up on the “Dancing With The Stars” TV show.
The Vermont native is returning to the 15-a-side game in hopes of boosting her chances of making the U.S. team for the 2025 Rugby World Cup in England. She can play at wing or center.
Bristol, currently in fifth place, lost to Gloucester-Hartpury 36-24 in last season’s title match.
A record crowd on Sunday will be a “huge” help, Bears coach Dave Ward said.
“For the (players) to run out to that many people, I think it could be great,” he said. “The noise, it could be creative and drive us forward when we’re on the front foot and also on the back foot as well in terms of our defensive effort.”
League-leading Harlequins said they set a women’s club rugby record for attendance on Dec. 28 when 18,055 fans watched the team beat Leicester Tigers 42-17 at Twickenham Stadium. That was not a stand-alone match; it was part of a doubleheader with the Harlequins men’s team.
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