Bristol Bears confirm Tom Whiteley signing ahead of 2021/22 season

Bristol Bears have confirmed the signing of scrum-half Tom Whiteley ahead of the 2021/22 season.

Whiteley made his professional rugby debut with Saracens in 2014 and made 49 appearances for them scoring 91 points.

“I'm excited by the opportunity at Bristol Bears. Everybody can see the direction the club is heading and the ambition that Pat Lam and the team are showing in their game," he told the official website of the club.

“You feel a fantastic wave of energy simply when you walk into the new Bears high Performance Centre. I'm looking forward to continuing my development as a player and realising my full potential in that environment.”

The 25-year-old started his junior career with academy sides for Bristol and Harlequins and also represented Rosslyn Park 7s. He also had loan stints with Cambridge, Bishop's Stortford, Old Albanians, Rosslyn Park and Bedford Blues.

Bristol Bears director of rugby Pat Lam is confident that Whiteley has all the attributes to succeed at the highest level.

“Competition and quality depth right across all positions is crucial for our continued growth.

"Tom has the hunger and ambition to compete with the scrum halves we have here already. His skillset and talent certainly complement the way we like to play the game.

“To add another young, talented scrum half to our squad is exciting and Tom will ensure that we keep raising the bar and standard in all positions as we strive to be world class in everything we do.”