Louis Rees-Zammit stood down with immediate effect

The club issued an injury update today, drawing attention to Rees-Zammit’s setback: "Louis Rees-Zammit sprained his knee during training and will return to action in the coming weeks."

A knee sprain can have a recovery time of as little as 1-2 weeks, but it could be months if it turns out to be severe. Given the wording of the statement, it is expected that Rees-Zammit's knock is on the lower end and he should be back in action soon.

Bears are currently fifth in the PREM Rugby table, sitting seven points behind fourth-placed Exeter Chiefs. They’ll need to secure some wins without their Welsh star if they want to keep their play-off ambitions alive.

Their game against Gloucester tomorrow at Ashton Gate presents a great opportunity to close the gap on Chiefs, with the Devon side facing a tough visit from table-toppers Northampton Saints.

Rich Lane will wear the 15 shirt tomorrow as his replacement.

Back in July 2025, Rees-Zammit confirmed his return to rugby union after an 18-month spell in the NFL, explaining his decision by saying he felt he was "wasting his talent." He officially joined Bristol Bears on 14 August.

Elsewhere, Steven Luatua suffered a contact-related hamstring injury during the Investec Champions Cup fixture against Toulouse and is expected to be sidelined until May.

Meanwhile, Santiago Grondona is dealing with a minor calf issue and is due to return at the end of the month.