Bristol Bears face Sale Sharks depleted by international duties

Summarised from BristolLive's report · Updated 4 Nov, 21:57 · Archive

Bristol Bears travel to Sale Sharks on Friday without 11 players on international duty.

Bristol Bears travel to Sale Sharks on Friday night in Round Three of the PREM Rugby Cup with a severely depleted squad. Eleven players who started last weekend's league defeat to Leicester Tigers are unavailable due to international commitments this weekend.

With both England and England A playing, the Bears are without Ellis Genge and Harry Randall with the senior side, and Fitz Harding, Joe Batley and George Kloska with the A team, who face Argentina XV at the Rec. Benjamin Grondona may line up for the touring Argentina side. Lock Pedro Rubiolo has been named for the Pumas against Argentina. Winger Louis Rees-Zammit is with Wales, Tom Jordan with Scotland, and Luka Ivanishvili with Georgia. Fly-half AJ MacGinty has joined the US Eagles camp to train and advise the squad but will not play in their Test matches as he targets a place at the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

With at least another seven senior players unavailable through injury, Bristol's head coach Pat Lam is running the smallest senior squad in the PREM. The Bears have a bye week in Round Four next weekend.

Read the report

• Sale Sharks v Bristol Bears team news announcements LIVE ahead of PREM Rugby Cup Round Three clashSale Sharks host Bristol Bears at the CorpAcq Stadium on Friday night in Round Three of the 2026/27 PREM Rugby CupBristolLive · 5 Nov, 09:38
• Bristol Bears injury and availablity latest ahead of Sale Sharks: Max Lahiff, Khalik Kareem, Benjamin Grondona, AJ MacGintySale Sharks host Bristol Bears on Friday night in Round Three of the 2026/27 PREM Rugby CupBristolLive · 4 Nov, 15:35

In this story: Bristol Bears · Sale Sharks · Ellis Genge · Harry Randall · AJ MacGinty · Benjamin Grondona

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