Gallagher PREM 2025/26 squads rated: Bristol

It’s little wonder that Bristol are rated as one of the outsiders for the 2025/26 Gallagher PREM title, given how light on numbers they are. But 16/1 does look on the high side, especially if they get lucky on the injury front.

Near neighbours Bath heavily rotated their squad on their way to achieving the treble, but Bristol don’t have that luxury, with the combined senior and academy squads totalling only 50 players.

Director of Rugby Pat Lam says it is the smallest squad he has ever worked with in his eight years at Bristol, and the hope amongst Bears fans is that quality wins over quantity.

Bristol have certainly made some quality signings, world-class even. Tom Jordan (Glasgow), Pedro Rubiolo (Newcastle), and Louis Rees-Zammit (NFL) have made their way to Ashton Gate, and, apart from perhaps Max Malins, they haven’t suffered any notable departures.

Loosehead prop: Jake Woolmore (167 apps), Ellis Genge (60 apps), Sam Grahamslaw (12 apps)
Ellis Genge underlined his status as one of the premier looseheads in Europe on the Lions tour, and any other Premiership club would be glad to have him. However, he’s set to miss the first two rounds of the PREM and matches later down the line with England, which will expose the lack of strength in this position. Jake Woolmore is more of a stalwart than a superstar. Depth rating: 7/10

Hooker: Harry Thacker (131 apps), Will Capon (99 apps), Gabriel Oghre (41 apps)
Bristol’s frontline hookers, Gabriel Oghre and Harry Thacker, epitomise the way the Bears play with their high-energy involvement. Both have great hands and offer a good link option in broken play, and Oghre’s lineout throwing record last season was over 90%. The only concern is whether Oghre’s Test prospects will continue to improve, given that the former Wasps man was called up for England’s Test against the USA this summer.
Depth rating: 9/10

Tighthead prop: Max Lahiff (109 apps), George Kloska (63 apps), Lovejoy Chawatama (5 apps)
With a success rate of 94.7%, Bristol’s scrum more than held its own when having the feed in 2024/25. Only Bath did better. However, the three tight-heads listed are unlikely to strike too much fear into opposition front rows. Their job is to secure possession and move the ball in and out as efficiently as possible, allowing the backs to do their job.
Depth rating: 6.5/10

Lock: Joe Batley (73 apps), James Dun (52 apps), Joe Owen (34 apps), Steele Barker (5 apps), Pedro Rubiolo.
The Bears really missed Joe Batley when he was injured for a large chunk of the campaign. Having him and Rubiolo, who arrived at the start of the year, for the entire campaign will be a real plus. With those two providing the grunt and breakthrough star, James Dun, the athleticism, the Bears’ engine room should be well-stoked. Depth rating: 7.5/10

Back row: Steven Luatua (151 apps), Fitz Harding (95 apps), Viliame Mata (16 apps), Santiago Grondona (14 apps), Luka Ivanishvili
The evergreen Steven Luatua and Viliame Mata may be the star names, but Fitz Harding’s impact often gets overlooked by those outside of Bear country.  Harding topped the league’s stats for offloads (32) and brings so much passion to the cause as the club captain. Fully-fledged Puma, Grondona, who scored two tries on debut in the win at Bath, is a class act, but needs to improve his discipline. Meanwhile, Georgian enforcer Luka Ivanishvili could be a great addition. Depth rating: 8.5/10

Scrum-half: Harry Randall (144 apps), Kieran Marmion (50 apps), Sam Wolstenholme (9 apps), Max Pepper
Bristol are well served at nine, especially if livewire Randall falls out of favour with England. Randall was second only to Bath’s Finn Russell in try assist stakes in 2024/25, and is not shy of scoring a try or two himself, having crossed six times in the league campaign. International quality back-up comes in the form of Kieran Marmion. Depth rating: 8/10

Fly-half: AJ MacGinty (51 apps), Tom Jordan
Only two 10s have been listed by Bristol, but James Williams is equally capable of playing in the first receiver role as he is 12. The likelihood is that the classy Jordan will be preferred at inside-centre, which puts a lot of emphasis on MacGinty, whose injury issues are well-documented. It was no coincidence that when the US Eagles star broke down last season, Bristol’s fortunes took a nosedive. Harry Byrne came in on loan to the rescue and, ideally, he’d have stayed on a more permanent basis. Academy fly-half Sam Worsley is around too, though, and he’ll have benefited from getting plenty of minutes under his belt last term. Depth rating: 7.5/10

Centre: James Williams (53 apps), Benhard Janse van Rensburg (48 apps)
If Lam chooses to play Jordan inside of Janse van Rensburg, there’s probably going to be few better midfield combinations in the league. Janse van Rensburg finished the season playing at 13, so it’s a distinct possibility, unless Jordan is needed at 10. Bristol rely heavily on Janse van Rensburg to do the hard yards, but Joe Jenkins is more than a useful alternative if needed, as he has a touch of Jamie Roberts about him, while James Williams will be praying for an injury-free run. Depth rating: 7.5/10

Wing: Gabriel Ibitoye (57 apps), Jack Bates (51 apps)*, Kalaveti Ravouvou (30 apps), Louis Rees-Zammit
Louis Rees-Zammit will bring even more X-factor to a wing unit that is brimming with pace, power and panache. Starved of the ball for much of his time at Gloucester, the Welshman should relish the way Bristol play and get a hatful of tries. At times, Gabriel Ibitoye was a defensive liability, but the way he fashions scores out of nothing gives him some wriggle room. Ibitoye finished the regular season in 2024/25 as joint top try-scorer on 13, along with Leicester’s Ollie Hassel-Collins, while Kalaveti Ravouvou was probably the hardest man to put down, beating more defenders than any other back in the league. Jack Bates never lets the side down, either, and Benjamin Elizalde is a full-blown Argentinean international. Depth rating: 9.5/10.

Full-back: Rich Lane (60 apps), Noah Heward (26 apps)
Rich Lane launches so many counter attacks, but at 32, you do wonder if the years will start to catch up on him, especially with the tempo that Bristol play at. Noah Heward missed virtually all of last season, so he will feel like a new signing, while Jordan can cover the position if needed. Depth rating: 7/10

Overall rating: 78/100

*Players listed by the number of Bristol appearances