England hopeful set to make first start after long-term injury

Ibitoye required surgery on a hamstring injury sustained during Bristol’s opening Prem match against Leicester Tigers, after he was forced from the field early. The issue was described at the time as “slightly different” and came amid a challenging period for the Bears, which also saw injuries to Harry Randall and AJ MacGinty.

An update issued at the end of November confirmed that Ibitoye was progressing well through his rehabilitation and was expected to return early in the New Year. He marked his comeback last weekend with a brief seven-minute appearance off the bench in Bristol’s away win over Exeter Chiefs.

At international age-group level, Ibitoye featured in the 2018 Under-20 Six Nations, scoring in England’s final fixture against Ireland. He was also selected for the 2018 World Rugby Under-20 Championship, crossing for two tries in a victory over Scotland, and started the Junior World Cup final for the second year running as England finished runners-up to hosts France. His form earned him a call-up to train with the senior England squad under Eddie Jones in February 2018.

Ibitoye joined the Harlequins academy at the age of 12 and made his senior club debut against Saracens in November 2017. In 2020, he agreed a move to Top 14 side Agen but was later granted a mutual release, instead joining Montpellier as a medical joker for the remainder of the 2020–21 season. After his spell in France, he signed for Tel Aviv Heat before returning to England with Bristol Bears ahead of the 2022–23 campaign.

He enjoyed a standout 2024–25 Premiership season, finishing as joint top try scorer with 13 touchdowns alongside Leicester Tigers’ Ollie Hassell-Collins. His contributions were instrumental in Bristol setting a new Premiership record of 16 try bonus points from 18 matches, surpassing Exeter Chiefs’ previous mark of 15 from 22 games.