Bristol Bears will face Bath at the Recreation Ground on Friday night in the semi-final of the 2024/25 Gallagher PremiershipEllis Genge of Bristol Bears shakes hands with a Bath supporter at Principality Stadium (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Bristol Bears director of rugby Pat Lam is hoping to have forward duo Ellis Genge and James Dun available for Friday night’s seismic derby clash with Bath Rugby in the Gallagher Premiership semi-final, he confirmed on Saturday.

England loosehead prop Genge and lock Dun both missed the 52-26 win over Harlequins at Ashton Gate on the final day of the regular season, having suffered minor training ground knocks, but are anticipated to be back in the selection mix for next weekend’s season-defining game as Bristol look to beat their local rivals for a fourth time this campaign having already completed a league double.

Lam said: “Ellis took a knock in training on Tuesday, and he didn’t train on Thursday, and I really wanted everyone to be available for training, so I had a quiet word with him and said listen, ‘There is no point taking a risk’. He will be available this week.”

Genge is set to tour Australia with the British and Irish Lions for the first time this summer, and Lam said Bristol’s medical department has spoken to the touring side’s medical team about the injury to reassure them there is no reason for concern.

Lam continued: “If he had played against Quins, he wouldn’t have been at 100 percent, and we needed everyone to be at 100 percent. We have played a lot of rugby without Ellis Genge, with him being away with England. We have Yann Thomas and Jake Woolmore, who are both centurions for the club and have won lots of big games so I have a lot of faith in those guys.”

Bristol will need all their forward firepower to go toe-to-toe with Bath’s powerful pack, and Genge and versatile back five forward Dun, who can play both lock and flanker, are two of the Bears’ biggest hitters in that department.

Lam continued: “Dunny should be there for Friday. It is funny how with a lot of these Bristolian boys you mention Bath and everything changes in their body. Genge, Dunny, Kloska and Capon, these boys, suddenly they don’t feel anything anymore.”

Noah Heward made an impressive return from a hamstring injury that has kept him sidelined since February in Saturday’s win over Harlequins and he looks likely to pull on the 15 jersey again at the Recreation Ground with Lam without the services of Max Malins [Achilles] and Rich Lane [ankle].

Providing a further update on Lane’s fitness, Lam said: “He potentially could be available for the final if we get there, but he won’t be available this week but it was great to have Noah and Jack Bates back, they both did well.”