Two trialists join the team
Welsh age-group international backrower Tom Cowan has been confirmed as one of two players on trial at Bath Rugby this summer.
Cowan, 19, is joined at Bath by former sevens star Richard de Carpentier who is also on trial as backrow cover.
Both men were set to be involved against Cardiff Rugby last Friday in the club’s only pre-season game before their new Gallagher Premiership season kicks off this weekend away at Sale Sharks.
Cowan, who is from Chippenham, in Wiltshire, was part of the Bath Academy when he studied at Millfield before earning a place at Loughborough University.
At Millfield, he was in the same school year at Bath Academy second-row Ewan Richards.
de Carpentier and Cowan have been brought into the club to cover a potential short-fall in the backrow during the Autumn internationals with England star Sam Underhill and Wales great Taulupe Faletau likely to be away and Josh Bayliss (Scotland) and Miles Reid (England) in contention to make their senior debuts.
Bayliss has been training with Scotland since the turn of the year and was set to make his international debut this summer before the games were cancelled due to COVID-19 complications.
Reid, who turned 23 last Monday, was also in line to make his England debut in the summer but fractured his eye socket in training before the games took place.
If all four men were called up during the international window Bath would be left considerably short with Jaco Coetzee, Tom Ellis and Mike Williams as the only senior players to cover the back row along with the club’s academy players.
Versatile backrower Zach Mercer left Bath this summer for Montpellier, where he scored on his Top 14 debut to win the game, while Xavier Hastings was released in June and has now linked up with Championship side Hartpury.