Bristol Bears have announced that seven U18 Academy players have signed professional terms with the Premiership club ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
The strength and quality of clubs' academy players is expected to be more important than ever next season, with the 2023/24 campaign getting underway with five rounds of the Premiership Rugby Cup while the Rugby World Cup is on to stretch player resources which are already tight with director of rugby Pat Lam confirming the Bears will have their smallest senior squad since his arrival at the club due to the restraints of the reduced £5m salary cap. The squad senior squad is expected to be around 40 to 41 players, keeping in mind at times last season Bristol had 20 players unavailable through injury and international commitments.
Lam said: “We will have the smallest senior squad we have had so we will have to fast tract some of the younger guys and you hope we have a good run of no injuries.”
Signing professional terms with Bristol is versatile Wales U18 forward Kenzie Jenkins (Coleg y Cymoedd), who can operate in the second row or back row, who joins the Senior Academy along with England U18 loosehead prop Louis Trevett and dynamic centre Isaac Campbell-Wu (both Clifton College).
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The Bears also welcome England U18 centre Toby Baker, who joins the Bears Senior Academy from the RFU Yorkshire Rugby Academy.
Wing Tom Ormsby (Redland Green School) signs a scholarship agreement, while backrow duo Tom Gardner and Ollie Thraves take up BUCS Super Rugby pathway deals at Loughborough University.
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