Bristol Bears are set to have Welsh international Ioan Lloyd and England U20 winger Deago Bailey back in their squad to face Worcester Warriors in Round Two of the 2021/22 Premiership Rugby Cup.
Fly-half Lloyd and winger Bailey were withdrawn early during Bristol’s 33-27 win away at Exeter Chiefs last weekend but are fit to feature at Sixways on Saturday.
Bristol Bears academy transition coach Jordan Crane said: “They should be good, taking them off was more precautionary than anything.
“They both trained yesterday [on Tuesday] so hopefully, they will come through and be good to get going this weekend.”
Bristol took a strong side to Sandy Park with the likes of former England internationals Nathan Hughes and Dave Attwood in the pack along with star hooker Harry Thacker, but the Bears were still able to hand out six debuts.
Discussing selection ahead of Worcester, Crane said: “We take it on a week-by-week basis, depending on the injury status of the squad because it determines what team you can put out.
“You want to get that blend of experience and youth right because the last thing you want is a team of all young lads being hung out to dry at places we know are difficult to win at.
“But you also don’t want senior guys continuing to play all the time because that is not going to help anyone’s development.
“If you get the blend like we had at the weekend it helps a Macenzzie Duncan or a Deago Bailey - it helps the guys come through because they can just concentrate on their job.
“Whereas if you put out 23 youngsters then some of them need to step up as leaders and run the game and that doesn’t give them the opportunity to concentrate on just their games.”
Following this weekend’s cup game the Bears host Northampton Saints at Ashton Gate in Round Nine of the Gallagher Premiership.
Worcester come into the game having had a bye week in the Premiership Rugby Cup last weekend, meaning their last outing was the 27-5 defeat in the league to the Bears.
Sitting 12th in the Premiership table, Warriors head coach Jonathan Thomas indicated in midweek he will also select a mixed side to face Bristol this weekend, saving his stars like Melani Nanai, Ollie Lawrence, Willi Heinz and prop Rory Sutherland for the following week in the league against Newcastle Falcoons
Speaking to the Worcester News in midweek, former Bristol coach Thomas said: "We wont make wholesale changes.
"Winning is important for us given where we are at the moment with our development. We are playing at home and first and foremost, we want to win the game, that's important to us.
"We will look at balance, keeping a strong spine but giving those who have spent a fair bit of time on the bench some minutes."
