Bears without injured Ibitoye for up to four months

Gabriel Ibitoye has endured a season disrupted by injury after already spending four months out [Getty Images]

Bristol Bears have been dealt another major injury blow in their race for the Prem play-offs with winger Gabriel Ibitoye ruled out for the rest of the season with a torn hamstring.

Ibitoye went off early in the second half of the Bears' defeat by Saracens last weekend and now faces three to four months on the sidelines.

Hooker Gabriel Oghre, back row Benjamin Grondona, lock Pedro Rubiolo and number eight Viliame Mata have all also been ruled out long-term in the past five weeks.

"He [Ibitoye] got caught in a tackle which ruptured his hamstring, so Gabs is gone for the season now, he'll have surgery," director of rugby Pat Lam told BBC Radio Bristol.

"He's going to be back in three, four months so he'll be back for the start of next season."

Ibitoye's absence is the latest in a long line of injury issues Bristol have faced this season, with the player already having missed the first four months of the campaign due to a leg injury suffered in their opening Prem game.

At their most depleted over the winter, the Bears barely had enough backs available to run a full training session, while academy players have been heavily relied on and the club are now below the threshold of fielding the required number of English qualified players (an average of 15 per game), with Lam having to make squad selections with that in mind.

In more positive news, flanker Steven Luatua is nearing a return from the hamstring issue that has kept him out for the past month, as is fly-half AJ MacGinty, who has not played since September with an Achilles injury.

"[They are] potentially available for the last two rounds [of Prem games]," Lam said.

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With just three rounds of Prem matches to go, last weekend's defeat by Saracens leaves Bristol fifth in the table, five points behind Exeter in fourth.

The result also kept Saracens in the chase for a play-off spot as they closed the gap to two points behind the Bears.

Bristol's plight does not get any easier in the coming weeks with Northampton and Bath - first and second in the table - their next two games, before they face Sale away in the final round.

"All we can do is win the next game, and the next game is Friday night against top-of-the-table at Saints - that's all we can worry about," Lam said.

"All I'm into is what we do. If we miss out on points it's disappointing but if we gain points it's fantastic.

"There's five points we need to try to go down and get. Northampton, they'll want to win as well. We know they're going to be difficult coming off the back of a big loss to Leicester - everything is up for grabs Friday night."