We must make sure Maher is ready - Bristol boss Ward

Bristol Bears head coach Dave Ward has said the club will have to make sure new signing Ilona Maher is ready before integrating her into the squad.

It was announced on Monday that US sevens star Maher will be joining up with the Bears from January for the rest of the Premiership Women's Rugby season.

Former Harlequins hooker Ward revealed in Tuesday's press conference that Maher's reintroduction into XVs, having played sevens for the past three years, will be the priority before matches.

"We're not going to be stupid about it, we've got to make sure she's ready," Ward told BBC Radio Bristol.

"She hasn't played rugby in four months. She'll do a tiny bit of contact this week but again, real technical stuff just to get her back into the swing of things and then it will start the process in January.

"That Gloucester game might be one or two weeks too early if I'm being honest. We're going to do everything we can but her tackling her dad in Vermont is not going to be quite the same as tackling in a full time rugby environment.

Maher's arrival is seen as a major coup for Bears.

The 28-year-old, who won bronze with the USA at this summer's Paris Olympics, is the most followed rugby player on the planet.

The Vermont native has 4.5 million followers on Instagram and 3.2 million on TikTok which Ward believes will help showcase his side and the rest of the league to a wider audience.

"I think everybody agrees the RFU, the PWR have supported her visa applications and rightly so, it's for the good of the game," Ward added.

"You walk into the building and it's to inspire the community for rugby's success. If this is getting eyes on the girls what they're doing, and I get to see it day in day out, I want more people to see it, I want more people in Bristol to see it and I want more people around the world to see it.

"If it does get more eyeballs on it, then all the better for me."

If she is not ready for the Gloucester-Hartpury game, Maher's Premiership debut could be on 12 January when Bears visit Exeter.

Bristol are fourth in the PWR on 25 points and face league leaders Exeter Chiefs on Saturday.