USA ‘would be silly to not pick Ilona Maher’

Amber Reed backed her Bristol Bears teammate Ilona Maher to excel at Test level as she suggested a USA recall for the winger was a no-brainer.

Maher signed a short-term deal with the Bears in December as part of her attempts to force her way into USA head coach Sione Fukofuka’s thinking for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025.

The impact of her arrival in Bristol has been clear. The Bears have attracted more followers on social media and sold more tickets to matches, one of which – the round 12 meeting with Sunday’s opponents Gloucester-Hartpury – was moved to Ashton Gate due to demand.

Maher in turn has dedicated herself to the squad’s push for a first Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) title and played a key role in the victories against Exeter Chiefs and Harlequins that propelled them into the play-offs.

Bears face a tough trip to back-to-back defending champions Gloucester-Hartpury in Sunday’s second semi-final, but whatever the result both Reed and head coach Dave Ward are confident the American will leave behind a positive legacy in Bristol.

And the benefits of her short-term stay will not have flowed only one way. Maher’s popularity within the squad means her teammates are also determined to help her achieve her goal of representing USA at the World Cup.

“I think she’s a world class rugby player, and she’s proved that on the sevens circuit. She’s an incredible athlete. She works hard, she’s got her skill set,” Reed told reporters on Tuesday.

“Obviously she has aspirations to get to that World Cup and for us as a club, yes, she’s boosted the game in terms of her profile but ultimately, as rugby players, we want to put her in the best place to achieve that and go onto the World Cup.

“She’s ticked off an Olympic medal and all of her sevens series wins as well. But if her aspirations are to be on that 15s pitch, to be in that World Cup squad, we’ve tried to do everything we can to give her the 15s knowledge, to give her the skill set to be able to go and achieve that.

“And I think judging by her performances, she’s proved that week on week and really held her hand up for selection.

“So, in terms of PAC4 (Pacific Four Series), that USA side, I think it’d be silly to not pick her in that because she can do really good things at PAC4 and definitely the World Cup as well.”

Reed, Bristol’s longest serving player having made her debut in 2009, has battled back from a season-threatening injury to take part in Bears’ title push.

The playmaker missed six weeks of action between December and February – a time when injuries were mounting up for Ward’s side – before playing a starring role in the 45-17 victory against Exeter earlier this month.

Her determination to be a part of the club’s first top-flight triumph, following final defeats in 2017 and 2024, was at the heart of her rapid recovery.

“I hate it. I’m terrible to be around, I get nervous and it’s all that energy that gets pent up that you can’t then release,” Reed revealed when asked about how she finds being on the sidelines.

“For me, it was just about trying to prepare the team as best I could in the week. Either by helping people with detail, going through plays, sending clips in the group.

“But that’s kind of the extent of what you can do to help the team and then the rest of it is just being really positive. Especially that little patch when results weren’t going our way and it seemed like we kind of got a new injury every week, which wasn’t ideal.

“But it’s just trying to pick those players up, look after the injured players and make sure that they still have positive experiences. Ultimately, we have to fight to get back.

“I had an injury that could have ruled me out for the rest of the season, but I’m really grateful to the S&C and the medics, they got me back in a place where I could play that home game against Exeter, which was really special, which was why I was a bit emotional after it.

“So, it means a lot to get back. It’s pretty tough when you’re on the sidelines because you feel almost helpless, especially when it comes to game day.

“During the week, you can have a bit of an impact on helping players out but as soon as they step across that whitewash on game day, it’s all them, it’s all the players that are out there.

“So, [I was] just watching them and hoping that they would do the best they can and just really grateful to have got back. And yeah, even more so that we pushed into that top four.”