The young centre is currently playing for England U18s, but could pull on the red jersey in years to come
Will Moore has signed his first professional deal with Bristol Bears.
The son of former Wales second-row Andy has penned a senior academy deal ahead of the 2026/27 campaign. Moore is one of 13 players from Bristol’s NextGen U18 title-winning squad to be offered terms by director of rugby Pat Lam.
Moore is currently in South Africa, turning out for England U18s in the 2026 International Series.
He was previously called up by England’s age-grade side earlier this year for the U18s Six Nations.
However, Moore hasn’t ruled out playing for Wales at senior level – telling WalesOnline earlier this year that he had already met with Steve Tandy.
The young centre was raised in Swansea, having initially come through the Ospreys academy.
He accepted a place at Clifton College, bringing him onto Bristol’s books.
JOIN OUR WALES RUGBY FACEBOOK PAGE Latest news, analysis and much more
“I saw it as an ideal opportunity with it only being an hour and a half from home,” he told WalesOnline back in April.
“You hear about how good English schoolboy rugby is and I would agree it does live up to that. I’m studying maths, chemistry and PE for my A levels at Clifton and I’m also part of the senior Bristol Bears academy.
“I had a few Wales U18s non capped appearances but I missed out on the Six Nations period last year with my shoulder. But now is probably the perfect time to try it out.
“It’s no fault of Wales because Richie Pugh (WRU pathway coach) and all the boys were brilliant with me but personally I am eligible to play for England.
“So, I thought there’d be no harm in giving England a try because at this age it doesn’t tie me down to anyone.
“Every camp I’ve been to has been very professional. It’s not much different to Wales.
“I’m not looking any further than this U18s Six Nations. The last two games v Georgia and Italy I want to get my international caps.
“As soon as that finishes I’ll do my A levels, finish school and whatever comes next from that I’ll take it step by step.”
Moore also revealed this year how he has already trained briefly with the star-studded senior team at Bristol, rubbing shoulders with Louis Rees-Zammit and Ellis Genge.
“It’s pretty cool thinking in a couple of years time I could potentially be playing with Louis Rees-Zammit and Ellis Genge,” he said. “It’s just really exciting and I can’t wait to get into it.
“The first day I had with the seniors was the most open environment I’ve ever been to. Everyone is just talking and shaking each others hands.
“It’s an environment where everyone can be themselves. Over the next couple of years I want to keep improving and hopefully sink into that Bears senior environment and hopefully get a senior appearance.”
Having confirmed his senior and academy squad for this season, Lam said: “Next season’s squad of 38 senior players and 30 senior academy players is an exciting blend of experienced PREM performers, established internationals and young, hungry players with huge potential, strengthened further by the arrivals of Ethan Staddon, Sol Moody, Khalik Kareem, Tobi Wilson, Louie Sinclair, and the return of Josh Caulfield and Oscar Lennon.
“With more than 2,000 senior appearances and 15 capped internationals across the squad, there is real experience, leadership and quality throughout the group. We’ve worked hard to build a squad with the cohesion, depth and competition needed to compete consistently across a demanding PREM season and put ourselves firmly in the mix for the play-offs.
“One of the biggest positives for us is to see our pathway produce high-quality young players. The opportunity to offer professional terms to 13 players from our title-winning Under-18s side is hugely exciting. There is real belief amongst our Senior Academy that if they work hard and perform, there are genuine opportunities to progress into the first team.
“This squad has a strong core of players who have grown together over the last few seasons, alongside experienced leaders who know what it takes to compete at the highest level. That balance is important because cohesion and continuity are massive factors in building a team capable of challenging at the top end of the Gallagher PREM.
“It’s an exciting time for the Bristol Bears and we believe this is a squad with the quality, experience and togetherness to compete strongly for the Gallagher PREM in 2026/27.”
Follow all of our channels to ensure you stay up to date with the latest Welsh rugby news. Sign up to our free daily newsletter here and our WhatsApp channel here for all the breaking news.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login