Bristol Bears face Gloucester Rugby at Kingsholm on Friday night in Round Four of the 2025/26 Gallagher PREMTom Jordan of Bristol Bears reacts during the Gallagher PREM match (Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images)

Bristol Bears will be without the services of fly-half Tom Jordan for three weeks after the Scottish international was banned following his 20-minute red card against Exeter Chiefs on Saturday.

Jordan was banned for four weeks, reduced by one if he attends World Rugby’s ‘tackle school,’ which rules him out of club action until November, when he will almost certainly be called into action for Scotland during the Autumn internationals.

The versatile back, who was lining up at fly-half for the second straight week following AJ MacGinty going down with an Achilles injury on the opening weekend of the league season, was shown a red-card in the 30th minute of the 18-14 win over Exeter at Ashton Gate after he caught Chiefs number eight Ross Vintcent in the head with his shoulder while defending in his 22. Vintcent played no further part in the game and has been stood down this weekend following a failed HIA.

The ruling by the independent disciplinary hearing leaves Bears director of rugby Pat Lam with just one fit specialist fly-half this weekend in 22-year-old Sam Worsley with Bristol facing Gloucester Rugby away at Kingsholm in Round Four of the Gallagher PREM. The following week they face reigning champions Bath..

Lam said: “Tom has a four-week suspension, due to tackle school that goes down to three weeks, so he won’t be available obviously for these next two games in the Prem and the Prem Cup and then he should be good for Scotland to get back onto the international stage, if selected of course, and then ready for round Six in the PREM for us.”

Lam is understood to be on the hunt for an additional fly-half to provide cover over the next few weeks but has yet to land his man, with Benhard Janse van Rensburg the man lined up to play 10 should disaster strike and Worsley go down.

Lam admitted he is simply taking it week by week at the moment as he looks to navigate his side through the injury minefield they have stumbled into with 13 backs unavailable heading to Kingsholm on Friday night to face Gloucester, who won home and away against the Bears last season in the league.