Gloucester Rugby faces a crucial Gallagher Premiership encounter against Bristol Bears on Friday night at Ashton Gate, with squad fitness playing a pivotal role ahead of the Round 13 clash. Wales star and scrum-half Tomos Williams is likely to be sidelined as he continues his recovery from a shoulder injury sustained last month.
Williams, who will join Saracens this summer concluding a two-year spell in the Cherry and White jersey, injured his shoulder in the 17th minute during Gloucester’s 26-19 victory over Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop. The injury occurred after a collision with teammate Jack Innard, forcing Williams to miss the subsequent 17-36 defeat to Leicester Tigers at Villa Park.
Alongside Williams, fellow scrum-halves Mikey Austin and short-term signing Callum Braley have also been sidelined, resulting in Caolon Engfield and young Rhys Price—who largely plays at Champ Rugby side Hartpury—stepping into the breach for that specialist position.
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Gloucester head coach George Skivington provided an encouraging update on the squad’s fitness: “Mikey [Austin] is back in full training, and Tommy [Williams] is running again. Cal’s not quite there yet, but the situation is improving. Tomos had a shoulder bang—not severe, but after a long stretch of rugby post-Six Nations, recovery takes a bit longer. He’s close to a return, and we’ll make a call on him ahead of the weekend. He’s in a good place.”
The backline will also receive a boost with winger Ben Loader returning to training after missing most of the season due to consecutive hamstring injuries. Loader’s last appearance came against Saracens in December. “Ben Loader is good to go,” confirmed Skivington, but added the disappointing news of Josh Hathaway’s season-ending hamstring injury.
Despite a campaign disrupted by injuries, Skivington remains focused on the final six Premiership games. Gloucester currently sit eighth in the table, narrowly ahead of ninth-placed Harlequins by a single point and fighting for a crucial Champions Cup spot.
“We have as many fit players now as we’ve had all season, which is a positive heading into the last stretch,” Skivington said. He also highlighted the competitive spirit within the squad, emphasizing opportunities for players in the upcoming match against Bristol: “If there’s a tight call that won’t affect performance, I’m going to give some people opportunities—the lads know that. We’ve had strong selection discussions, and some players are gutted not to be playing, which is as healthy as we’ve been.”