BRISTOL, England (AP) — U.S. rugby star Ilona Maher made her debut for the Bristol Bears women’s team in front of a record home crowd of 9,240 fans on Sunday.
But Maher, “the most followed rugby player on the planet,” could not prevent Bristol from losing 40-17 to defending champion Gloucester-Hartpury in a Premiership Women’s Rugby match.
She came on as a substitute in the 61st minute at Ashton Gate with Bristol trailing 28-10. Maher made her presence felt in a couple of rucks and looked for work off the wing but could make little impact to the overall picture in her 20 minutes on the field.
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The previous attendance record for a Bristol women’s home match was 4,101 against Harlequins in May 2022. Such was the anticipation surrounding Maher’s debut that Bristol relocated the match from a smaller venue to Ashton Gate to satisfy demand for seats.
The 28-year-old …