One of the biggest names in rugby, USA Eagles star Ilona Maher heads to the club to play on a three-month deal from January 2025.

The Olympic bronze medallist – the most followed rugby player in the world on social media, boasting more than eight million followers – has arrived in the West Country with immediate effect to meet her new teammates and begin training this week, before heading home until the New Year.

Maher joins the Bears with her sights set on earning a place in the USA squad for the 2025 World Cup in England, with two quarter finals and both semi-finals taking place at Ashton Gate.

The versatile back, who can operate at centre and wing, made her international debut at the 2018 Paris Sevens tournament and from there, competed at the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 on home soil in San Francisco and later the Tokyo 2020 Olympics held in 2021.

A now two-time Olympian, Maher would consecutively be selected for the Paris 2024 games three years later, showcasing a devastating combination of speed and power.

Maher earned an invite to the Women’s Eagles fifteens camp in 2021, making her official debut against Canada during the Pacific Four Series in Glendale, CO.