Welsh teenager Jac Lloyd has been fast-tracked to train with Bristol’s first-team squad – and could be required to cover an injury crisis this week.
The fly-half is the younger brother of Ioan Lloyd, who made his Wales debut against Georgia in the autumn, and is still at sixth form at Clifton College.
The Bears will be without four number 10s ahead of their Premiership game against Wasps on Friday and there is a chance that the 18-year-old could be thrown in at the deep end.
Bristol face a fly-half crisis as first-choice Callum Sheedy is on international duty with Wales during the Six Nations, while Max Malins is part of the England squad.
Ioan Lloyd has been ruled out with an ankle injury, while Sam Bedlow is suspended and that means that Tiff Eden is their only senior fly-half.
That has led Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam to run the rule over the younger of the Lloyd brothers, who was called into a Wales Under-18s training camp last year and is highly rated.
Jac Lloyd is a member of Bristol’s Under-18s academy having been involved with the club since Under-15s level.
Lam told Bristol Live : “We have got Ioan’s younger brother Jac who is still at Clifton College in our academy and he is going to be with us when he is not at school.
“I will see how he goes this week, it is a big challenge to come right in. He is a real talent, similar to Ioan and we will see how the week goes.
“He has got some skills. Ioan like a good older brother will say he is better, Jac like a good younger brother will say he is better.
“We will find out if he can handle the physicality of it this week.”
