Maher ‘loving’ Bristol introduction – Aitchison

New signing Ilona Maher has brought “so much energy” to a “giddy” Bristol Bears dressing room after arriving at the club, fly-half Holly Aitchison has said.

American Olympic bronze medallist Maher announced on Monday she would join the Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) team for the rest of the season from January – causing a “massive buzz” in the dressing room for Aitchison and her team-mates.

“It’s been really lovely to get her here, settle her in a bit and for everyone to get to know her,” reflected Aitchison.

“She’s a gorgeous girl in her own right – she’s been fab, she brings so much energy.

“So far, she’s just loving being around the girls. Everyone’s giddy, and rightly so.

“She’s an icon and bigger than the sport right now. We need those people in our game, so everyone’s been a little bit silly.”
Maher is returning to XVs after three years playing sevens, including helping her country win their first Olympic medal in the discipline with a dramatic late victory over Australia in Paris in July.

The 28-year-old, whose 4.5 million Instagram followers and 3.2 million TikTok fans make her the most followed rugby union player in the world on social media, has already impressed Ward and the squad in training.

“I thought she would be a bit more jetlagged, if I’m honest,” said Aitchison. “I didn’t realise she was going to do so much.

“It was great – with the sevens, her core skills are so good, so it’s really easy for her to step in and understand what we’re doing.

“It’ll be a bit different when we come to the team sessions and she has to understand all the structures. That’ll be fun when she gets to that stuff and it’ll be more complicated.

“People are surprised, maybe, by how normal she is. She just takes everything in her stride – it doesn’t feel like you’ve got a massive celebrity in the room like she is. From what I gauge, she’s super-cool and super-chill.”