Olympic rugby bronze medalist Ilona Maher made her debut on the pitch in England on Sunday, Jan. 5 — and it resulted in the Bristol Bears having to change stadiums to accommodate her fans.

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.

Ilona Maher's mission to grow rugby is far from done, and while she admits she loves being a "superstar" of the game, the United States star said the sport desperately needs to showcase more athletes to help take rugby union to new fans and audiences.