Richard Hill is hoping Bristol's preparations for their make or break Guinness Premiership survival clash at home to Newcastle on Friday will not be further hindered by snow forecast for Monday.

The Bristol boss had been forced to go back to the drawing board this week after the winter weather conditions made the pitches at their Clifton training base unplayable and the third generation Astroturf at Filton College was closed.

Hill will put the Memorial Stadium outfit through their paces on Monday and Tuesday but is not ruling out bringing the players in on their day off on Wednesday.

The head coach said: "We have been hindered. There's no doubt about that. We have been forced to work around this as best we can.

"We have done line-out work indoors, a lot of theory and conditioning but it has been limited.

"The aim was to have three days of training this week. But now the important days are Monday and Tuesday.

"Hopefully the weather will pick up from Monday but the forecast is for more snow and we will come in on Wednesday if we have to."

Second row Robert Sidoli has been ruled out until the end of next month after having surgery on his fractured forehead.

Nathan Budgett will now make the line-out calls, with Dave Attwood in reserve.

Hill added: "Robert has had a metal plate inserted in his forehead and it could be six to eight weeks.

"But Robert and Nathan Budgett are pretty close friends. They work together and they are our two main men for the line-out. Dave Attwood will also step up. I have given him the opportunity to run the line-outs for the first-team."

Dings Crusaders' National Division Three South match at Rugby, Clifton's South West One match at home to Redingensians and Clevedon's derby with Yatton in South West Two West today have been cancelled due to the snow.

Old Redcliffians' Senior Vase match at home to Tottonians is also off but there is a pitch inspection at 10am ahead of Weston's Somerset Cup quarter-final match with Walcot (2.30pm).