U.S. rugby star Ilona Maher has made her debut for the Bristol Bears women’s team in front of a record home crowd of 9,240.

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.

U.S. Olympic bronze medallist Ilona Maher made her debut for Premiership Women's Rugby side Bristol Bears in a 40-17 loss to Gloucester-Hartpury on Sunday, with a record crowd of 9,240 in attendance at Ashton Gate stadium.

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.

Social media sensation Ilona Maher admitted that the nerves kicked in as she made her much-anticipated Bristol Bears debut in front of a record crowd. While second-half substitute Maher was unable to affect the result – a 40-17 Ashton Gate defeat against Premiership champions Gloucester-Hartpury – she still proved a huge hit.