33 players have extended their contracts at Bristol Bears

Bristol have celebrated the impending restart of the Gallagher Premiership by announcing that 33 players at the club marshalled by Pat Lam have extended their contracts ahead of the 2019/20 season restart versus Saracens this Saturday.  

Key players including skipper Steven Luatua, Charles Piutau, Nathan Hughes, Chris Vui, Luke Morahan and Kyle Sinckler – alongside homegrown players Andy Uren, Joe Joyce and Callum Sheedy – have all agreed to extended terms. 

Bristol return to league action at Ashton Gate sitting third in the table with nine rounds left to play – and director of rugby Lam says the extensions are a testament to the culture that now exists at the club. 

Former Scotland international Alex Grove guests in the latest episode of The Lockdown, the RugbyPass pandemic interview series

Former Scotland international Alex Grove guests in the latest episode of The Lockdown, the RugbyPass pandemic interview series

“I said from day one at the club that a key part to building a successful legacy will be recruitment and then retention of our key people. Players who want to go on to play over 200 games for the Bears and drive our game, our leadership and the Bears way for the next generation to come,” said Lam.

“Having players develop into quality men who can lead themselves and then positively influence others in our environment and community is vital to our success. To offer 33 contracts and have 33 accepted is a massive boost to everyone at Bristol Bears. The contract details differ from player to player with flexibility on both sides to allow for what is best for both the player and for the club each year going forward. 

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3⃣3⃣ 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 ✍️ pic.twitter.com/UJgUhzgrD8

— Bristol Bears 🐻 (@BristolBears) August 14, 2020

“It means that we are able to continue to plan long-term at the Bears, knowing that the squad are committed to bringing success to the club as we progress on this incredible journey. I’m personally delighted that I will have the opportunity to continue working together with some of them into their fourth, fifth and sixth season at the Bears. 

“It’s an exciting time for everybody involved, with our new world-class Bears high performance centre adding to the quality of our work on and off the field. The squad have absolute clarity from the Lansdown family and the senior leadership about what we want to achieve and it’s fantastic to see them drive that ambition. 

“With the season resumption against the reigning champions on Saturday, this news is a real boost to the players, staff and to our unbelievable community who have backed us throughout this challenging period.”

BRISTOL BEARS’ 33 EXTENDED PLAYER CONTRACTS

1. Jake Woolmore

2. Yann Thomas

3. Harry Thacker

4. Will Capon 

5. Bryan Byrne

6. Kyle Sinckler 

7. John Afoa

8. Max Lahiff

9. Jake Armstrong

10. Dave Attwood

11. Ed Holmes

12. John Hawkins

13. Chris Vui 

14. Joe Joyce 

15. Steven Luatua 

16. James Dun 

17. Dan Thomas 

18. Jake Heenan 

19. Nathan Hughes 

20. Mitch Eadie 

21. Andy Uren 

22. Harry Randall 

23. Callum Sheedy 

24. Tiff Eden 

25. Siale Piutau 

26. Sam Bedlow 

27. Piers O’Conor 

28. Siva Naulago 

29. Alapati Leiua 

30. Luke Morahan 

31. Charles Piutau 

32. Henry Purdy 

33. Toby Fricker 

'We have the best training centre in the country and that is not bragging, that is just factual'@BristolBears CEO Mark Tainton on their new training centre, ring-fencing, Lam, Radradra & how a clean-out of players in 2017 was needed, writes @heagneyl https://t.co/fsHrkGupXc

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 12, 2020