Bristol Bears face Gloucester Rugby at Kingsholm on Saturday in Round Four of the 2025/26 Gallagher PREMPat Lam, Director of Rugby at Bristol Bears looks on (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

Pat Lam and the Bristol Bears recruitment team are desperately searching for half-back cover ahead of Friday night’s Round Four Gallagher PREM game against Gloucester in preparation for losing Scottish international fly-half Tom Jordan to a ban following his 20-minute red card on Saturday.

Jordan was shown red in the 30th minute of the 18-14 win against Exeter Chiefs, which director of rugby Pat Lam labelled one of the best of his eight-year stay at Bristol due to the nature of the way his injury-ravaged side overcame adversity.

Jordan is likely to get a three-game ban, reduced to two for taking World Rugby’s ‘tackle school,’ leaving 22-year-old Sam Worsley as the only fit specialist fly-half at the club, with AJ MacGinty and Jimmy Williams both sidelined following surgeries.

Having gone into last weekend missing 15 backs, Bristol director of rugby Lam outlined the growing challenge he now faces after losing another three players, two to HIAs, for the trip to Kingsholm in the Rifles Cup.

Lam said: “Josh Carrington took a shoulder to the head, Jack Bates took a shoulder to the head. We have got a six-day turnaround so it is very unlikely they will be available. Tom Jordan obviously got red-carded for a shoulder to the head.

“We have these injuries and then I need to work out who is fit and available.”

Bristol have already been forced into two injury cover signings, adding scrum-half Oscar Lennon – who played on Saturday off the bench – and 93-cap Argentina back Matias Moroni on short-term deals.

Lam said: “Matias Moroni flew in on Saturday, so that is good timing.

“He was sitting up in the coaching box during the game, not far off the coaches’ box with Jimmy Williams. It was the first time they met, they hugged, and then Jimmy just guided him through our game. I sent him stuff to review on his plane journey over and Jimmy talked him through it all.

Lam continued: “Certainly, Gethin Watts [head of recruitment] is out there on his phone finding out who is out there, who is available. “So far, some of our academy boys like Sam Worsley, have stepped up. He slotted two good goals, and I am really pleased for him because he has had a really injury-ravaged two years, that will give him a lot of confidence.

Bristol Bears ’ likely backline for Friday night:

9 Kieran Marmion10 Sam Worsley11 Matias Moroni12 Benhard Johannes Janse van Rensburg13 Kalaveti Ravouvou14 Aidan Boshoff15 Benjamin Elizalde