Bristol Bears travel to Gloucester Rugby on Friday night in the second round of the 2025/26 PREM Rugby CupBenhard Janse Van Rensburg of Bristol Bears scores against Bath. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Centre star Benhard Janse van Rensburg and rising tighthead talent George Kloska will both miss Bristol Bears ‘ PREM Rugby Cup game away at Gloucester on Friday night after picking up ‘bumps’ away at Sale Sharks on Saturday.

The Bears were beaten 29-15 at the Salford Community Stadium in Round One of the competition and saw both key men suffer minor injuries, but Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam is confident they will be available for the opening round of the Gallagher PREM a week later, when last season’s beaten finalists Leicester Tigers come to Ashton Gate.

Lam said: “Ideally you want to take squads of 28 or 30 guys and manage players in pre-season, but you can only pick 23 players in these cup games. Normally in pre-season games if a guy gets a bit of a niggle you get him off, but there is always that risk factor ahead of the PREM.

“Benhard and George will be fine for next week, but that is the perfect example. If you get knocks like that a week out from the start of the competition it impacts on whether they can train, but it is the same for everyone. Those guys that went off were a precaution and they will be ready by the time the PREM comes around.”

With Max Lahiff still in the latter stages of rehabbing a foot/ankle injury he sustained in last season’s semi-final defeat to Bath, and now Kloska temporarily sidelined, Bristol’s tighthead resources look set to be challenged early. Lam said: “He are hoping Max will be up and running soon. I thought last week Lovejoy Chawatama did brilliantly. He came in last year off the back of not playing a lot of rugby for Quins and I think it was a bit of a wake up call about the way we train and he picked up injuries, but he has come into pre-season in really good shape. Jimmy Halliwell make big steps forward last year as well and again has had a good pre-season, and we have also got young Sammy Scott who had his second campaign with Wales U20s and is learning his craft and is a quality kid, so we have got three young guys there.”

With just one ‘warm-up’ game to go ahead of the start of the league campaign, Lam confirmed the likes of Scotland star Tom Jordan, and England duo Harry Randall and Gabriel Oghre are all available to play this weekend. He said: “Tom Jordan has now had his rest time so is available for selection, so is Rands and Gabs Oghre. We are balancing it with giving some time to some good academy boys coming through. It has been a good training week actually.”