Homegrown England U20s international back Jack Bates has signed a new contract at Bristol Bears having made his senior debut last season.
The Bristolian Senior Academy product – who studied at SGS College – has been with the Academy since aged 14.
The highly-rated 19-year-old made his league debut for the club against Sale Sharks in August 2020 and has made three Gallagher Premiership appearances in total, also playing against Leicester Tigers and Wasps back in September, which is some feat considering the quality of this Bears squad.
At the time the former St Brendan’s and Cleve RFC junior called it 'a dream come true' having supported the club as a child.
Bates has represented his country through the age group categories and has been playing for England U20s this season in behind closed doors games to give the best young players in the country game time.
Just this month he scored a try in a comeback win for England U20s over Newcastle Falcons A and looks set to be involved with the national side during this summers' Six Nations championship which is all being played in Cardiff in June.
Speaking to The Rugby Paper back in September Bates described how 17-cap former All Black Charles Piutau has taken him under his wing.
He said: I’ve been working very closely with Charles Piutau over this last year. He’s been my mentor and we sit down a lot and go over our games, then after training sessions we’ll often work on skills together. He makes the point that you shouldn’t just work on your work-ons, but also on your super strengths – be even better at what you’re good at.
“Charles is a class player, a fantastically well-rounded guy who understands the game very well and is very vocal in meetings. He leads things and is just a good man to have around so I’m trying to get a lot of feedback from him because he sees the bigger picture.”
Bristol director of rugby, Pat Lam, said: “Jack is another Bristolian product who has come through the Academy pathway system and is showing encouraging development in the senior environment.
“We are excited about Jack’s growth and his versatility across the backline.
"He’s a physical character who causes problems for defenders. The key for Jack is to keep learning from the experienced guys around him and to push hard for regular first team rugby.”
Bears senior academy manager, Gethin Watts, said: “We’re proud of Jack’s progress – he’s a down to earth individual who has the right attitude and an eagerness to learn.
“Jack has really benefited from the clarity of the Bears system and we are seeing him add quality to his game.
"He’s still a young man with a bright future ahead, so we’re looking forward to seeing him representing the Bears for years to come.”
