English rugby is not ready for the impact American superstar Ilona Maher is going to have on the pitch, says Bristol Bears coach Dave Ward.
English rugby is not ready for the impact American star Ilona Maher will have on the pitch, says Bristol Bears coach Dave Ward.The 28-year-old is a huge social media figure, with 4.5 million Instagram followers and 3.2 million on TikTok, but Ward says that more important to him is the new dimension Maher will add to his team."I think she is going to be devastating. She is someone with the pace of Abby Dow, the size of Abbie Ward, and a step.
"Everyone knows about the social media following and that is all well and good, but, from my perspective, we saw a world-class rugby player who wanted to come and play 15s and was looking for the best league and hopefully the best programme.Maher, who appeared on US television show Dancing With The Stars, will return home for Christmas before starting training in earnest with Bristol in the new year.
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