Bristol confirm 16 players that have re-signed for club

Bristol Bears have released the names of sixteen players who have committed their future to the Gallagher Premiership side.

The news comes after the Bears were forced to release a number of players earlier in the year after a number of contract extensions kicked in, putting Bristol at risk of breaching the salary cap.

Bath bound England international Dave Attwood was maybe the biggest name that left the club as a direct result. Nathan Hughes, Antoine Frisch, Alapati Leiua and John Afoa are also all set to leave.

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Toulouse centre Pita Ahki joins us to discuss the drama of the penalty shootout at the Aviva Stadium, whether he’d have fancied taking one, returning to Dublin to take on Leinster and much more. Plus, Benji reveals he was next in line to take a penalty when Leicester beat Cardiff in a shootout in 2009, we analyse all the European action, chat about the prospect of Eddie Jones moving to the Top 14 and pick our MEATER Moment of the Week…
Use the code FRENCHPOD20 at checkout for 20% off any full price item at Meater.com
Head over to daysbrewing.com and use the code RUGBYPASS15 to get 15% off a case of their 0.0% beers

Despite the off-field issues and a difficult season for the Bristolians, the club are still been active on the recruitment front with some big names heading west. Ellis Genge will join from Leicester, while AJ MacGinty and Magnus Bradbury join from Sale and Edinburgh respectively.

The club had also already confirmed that internationals Chris Vui and Harry Randall have re-signed.

“We’ve always talked about bringing a core group through as we progress and we are seeing that in our squad retention,” said DoR Pat Lam. “We’re pleased to see a talented and experienced group of guys commit to the Bears, the majority of whom have been with us since the beginning of our journey.

“That world class talent is blended with homegrown talent who are making the step up – we’ve seen that in the way that the young players have made their mark during the current campaign.

“These players join the guys who remain in contract for next year and, as always, we’ll release a full retained list ahead of the final home game of the season against Exeter Chiefs on Friday night.”

RE-SIGNED PLAYERS:
Dan Thomas
Piers O’Conor
Luke Morahan
Yann Thomas
Harry Thacker
Jake Heenan
Will Capon
Sam Jeffries
Max Lahiff
John Hawkins
Jake Armstrong
Bryan Byrne
Jake Kerr
Charlie Powell
Siva Naulago
James Dun