Siale Piutau to leave Bristol Bears at the end of the season

The former Tongan captain – who made 66 appearances for the club – joined in 2017 and was a Foundation Bear, helping Bristol to a European Challenge Cup title in 2020.

“Siale’s impact on the club and our growth has been immeasurable. He has been an awesome senior leader in the group driving our game culture and standards as well as being an inspirational mentor, friend, and father figure to our players” said Director of Rugby Pat Lam.

“He has been on a journey with Bristol and departs with the club in a better place and with the foundations for sustainable success. It’s a mark of his character as a person and a leader that he has had a positive influence on everybody across the club – players and staff.

👊 Leader
🫂 Friend
💙 Brother
🐻 Bear@SPiutau is 1⃣ of a kind 🐐 pic.twitter.com/cLMbJMfmgN

— Bristol Bears (@BristolBears) June 7, 2021

“I believe Siale will continue to be a success and a blessing in his next chapter and beyond and we all thank Siale, Blossom and their children Emma, Azariyah, Caitlyn, Isaac and Isiah for their love and sacrifice for the Bears. We will miss them.

Piutau skippered Bristol Bears on 25 occasions including the 2020 European Challenge Cup win and captained his country at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

He added: “Representing the Bears and playing alongside my brother and a fantastic group of players has been a real privilege. I have been blessed to see the club flourish from when I joined at a very challenging time, to now under Pat’s leadership. I’m also grateful to the fans and the city of Bristol, who have made me and my family feel so welcome.

“The vision and culture at the Bears is second to none, one of the best environments I have been a part of anywhere in the world. There is alignment across the club and a genuine belief in what we can achieve. It would be an incredible feeling to end this season with silverware after five great years here.”