Pat Lam calls for 30-man squads in PREM Cup after Bristol hit by three injuries

Bristol Bears director of rugby Pat Lam has called on Premiership Rugby to expand matchday squads to 30 players for the first two rounds of the PREM Cup, after three of his players were ruled out with injuries sustained in the competition’s opening fixtures against Gloucester and Exeter Chiefs.

Full-back Noah Heward (knee), prop Max Lahiff (foot) and lock Joe Batley (ankle) are all facing spells on the sidelines — a toll Lam says illustrates exactly why the current 23-man squad limit is unfit for purpose at this stage of the season.

Lam says all directors of rugby in the league are aligned on the issue. The expanded squad format, he argues, would allow clubs to manage player minutes carefully as they build fitness ahead of a long campaign — mirroring the flexibility already permitted in standard pre-season fixtures.

“A lot of us spoke about this after last year. We were keen to have 30-man squads at this stage,” Lam said. “For player welfare, we feel we should have 30-man squads in the first two rounds.”

He pointed to the Gloucester game as a case in point. Flanker Fitz Harding was intended to play 50 minutes but was forced to complete the full 80 after injuries depleted the squad. Scrum-half Kieran Marmion was shifted to the wing to cover, while Harry Randall — also earmarked for limited minutes — had to stay on the field for the duration.

“I could decide to play Harry Randall for 30 minutes, take him off, put Kieran Marmion on for 30 minutes and get Max Pepper on for the last 20 minutes,” Lam explained. “But against Gloucester we lost two backs, so Marmion had to go into the wing, and Harry Randall had to stay on for 80 minutes — and you don’t want that at this stage of the season.”

If the rule is not changed, Lam believes clubs face a straightforward choice: revert to friendly matches, or push the Gallagher Premiership season back to an early September start date. “The other option is to start the PREM on September 5th,” he said, framing the current arrangement as an unnecessary risk to squad depth and long-term availability.