Bristol Rugby could be forced to throw prop Mark Irish in as an emergency hooker in Sunday's final European Challenge Cup group match with Montpellier at the Memorial Stadium (3pm).

David Blaney – who was the club's only fit hooker with Mark Regan and Scott Linklater both sidelined with calf injuries and Ryan Prosser (knee) out for the season – is doubtful after damaging his shoulder.

Blaney is not due to take part in contact training or throwing in at the line-out until later this week.

But with academy players Ollie Hayes and Adam Bellamy not registered to play in Europe, Bristol Rugby head coach Hill could have no hookers available and could be forced to start Irish in the No 2 shirt.

The Bristol boss said: "Mark Irish can stand in at hooker. A prop can normally stand in for a hooker in the scrum and do a pretty good job – the line-out is the problem.

"You have to expect the prop to know all the calls and get the accuracy in the line-out but Mark is the nearest we have to a hooker.

"He played hooker for 10 minutes and had one possibly two line-outs against Toulon and we won them both.

"We have to be quite simple when making our calls and maybe throw to the front. We won those line-outs but I wouldn't want to do that for 80 minutes."

Linklater has been named in Bristol's 24-man squad for the game with the Frenchmen but also remains doubtful to recover from the calf muscle tear he suffered at Saracens a fortnight ago.

But Bristol are giving special treatment to Blaney as they bid to ensure the 29-year-old runs out at the Memorial Stadium this weekend.

"We are relying on David Blaney to come through another game. We had to take him off with 10 minutes to go against Toulon and he hasn't done too much training this week.

"He should be fit for this weekend. We have to make sure he comes through. We are trying to nurse him through the week. He's got this on-going shoulder problem.

"We cannot afford to get him bumped during the week with the other two hookers injured, so we have to give him a bit of special dispensation.

"He trained today, done some running around, but he's not allowed to throw in yet because every time he moves his arm up it's very sore. We have to keep his hand below shoulder level."

Full-back Luke Arscott remains "touch and go" to recover from the hamstring injury he suffered at Toulon but wing David Lemi has served his two-week suspension and is available.

Tom Arscott could start in the No 15 shirt should his older brother fail a fitness test later this week.

Flankers Redford Pennycook (concussion) and Alfie To'oala (knee) both return to the squad after six and two weeks out respectively.

Bristol – Backs: L Arscott, T Arscott, E Barnes, G Beveridge, Nathan Brew, Neil Brew, A Jarvis, D Lemi, S Perry, L Robinson. Forwards: D Blaney, N Budgett, D Crompton, R Hogan, M Irish, S Linklater, R Pennycook, J Phillips, M Salter, R Sidoli, W Thompson, A To'oala, D Ward-Smith, R Winters.