Bern confirmed 27-year-old American star Maher had been in touch after the divisive dance to say "haters are gonna hate" and was full of support for the pair.

Bristol prop Bern had done something similar with England fans after the win against Italy in York which also went viral., external

She has no regrets over her recent TikTok efforts, remaining professional in her preparation for games and eager to grow the women's game before a home Rugby World Cup in August.

"It is a new landscape and we are moulding it for ourselves," Bern said.

"We can decide as female rugby players what this space looks like. It doesn't have to look a certain way, and if you don't like what I do then you don't have to watch it or comment. You can scroll past.

"There are a lot of people out there who do enjoy it and there were a lot of positive comments. For every negative one there are three or four nice comments."

Maher can play at centre or on the wing and won a bronze medal in sevens for the United States at the Paris Olympics last summer.

She scored four tries in seven games during a three-month spell at the Bears and has recently been included in USA's XVs player pool for this year, while continuing her successful social media career.

The World Cup marks the first time Maher could feature in competition for the United States in XVs since 2021, as she aims to be involved in the opening game against England at Sunderland's Stadium of Light in August.

"Ilona is so humble and works incredibly hard. Everything you see on social media is her and she is a brilliant icon for not only our sport but women in general," Bern added.

"If I can be a tiny bit like her then that would be amazing.

"She is doing so much for our sport. She needs to be out there pushing rugby into other people's faces.

"She is destined for bigger and better things. I would love her to come back to Bristol and play in our Prem, but I think she has got a bigger job to do."