Rugby Lam hails Lloyd’s talent and composure after Wales call
Ioan is well grounded and the guys here keep him well grounded because everything we do is about the team
PAT Lam, Bristol’s director of rugby, said of Ioan Lloyd: “I’ve always said if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.”
Now Wales head coach Wayne Pivac appears to agree, having called the 19-year-old from Cardiff into his senior squad for this autumn’s internationals. He joins Bears fly-half Callum Sheedy in the Wales sqaud.
Earlier this season, at just 18, Lloyd became Bristol’s youngest Premiership player and the club’s youngest top-flight try scorer, as he has taken to senior rugby with relative ease. He also won the man-ofthe-match award in his first start at fly-half in a pool-stage victory over Zebre, to help the Bears reach the final of the European Challenge Cup on October 16.
The former Glantaf pupil played his junior rugby for St Peter’s RFC, CRICC, Cardiff Schools and the Blues Under-16s, before moving over the bridge to Clifton College. He has been locked down longterm by Bristol who handed him a four-year deal in February 2019.
Speaking earlier in the year about Lloyd, Lam said: “Obviously he is very talented. The reason I signed him for four years is I could see not just his talent, but his desire to get better and grow.
“So it was a no-brainer to bring him straight into the senior set-up and he’s thrived in it.
“The thing I am most pleased about him is his composure. Whenever he plays, he is obviously well skilled. But the big thing is it’s like he’s just playing in the backyard. It doesn’t seem to faze him.
“As I have said to him many times, the most important thing is staying grounded and keeping a reality check on where he is as an 18-year-old.
“I have seen too many players get blown out there before they have done anything. You are only as good as the work you put in. We have all seen so many talented players fall by the wayside when they start believing they are bigger than they are.
“But Ioan is well grounded and the guys here keep him well grounded because everything we do is about the team.”
Lloyd has mainly played at fullback for the Bears and Wales Under-20s but is considered a future fly-half option.
Lam explained: “Utility back at the moment is the thing. Obviously 10 is the position he has played, but he’s skilled enough to play across the backline.
“The main reason he is in the squad at the moment is his versatility, but also for his growth. All you have got to do when you get the chance is perform and he’s done that, so he continues to get other chances. He will hit adversity and I hope he does, because that’s where you really get strong. If you get out there and make a mistake, you learn from it. He’s got a lot of confidence in him.” Despite Lloyd’s good form for the Bears who are in the Gallagher Premiership semi-finals and Challenge Cup final this season, his inclusion in the senior Wales squad so early does come as a slight surprise. However, Pivac explained he is looking to 2023 World Cup in France with his squad selection when Lloyd will be 22.
He said: “We are looking forward to getting back to international rugby and getting the squad together again.
“This campaign is hugely important looking to the future and long term to the RWC in 2023.
“We kick off the campaign with a game against France which will help prepare us for the rearranged Six Nations match versus Scotland, which is an important game and important we get a good performance from. We then go into the Autumn Nations Cup (ANC), which is an exciting tournament and a great opportunity for us. It is a chance for us to continue developing our game, give opportunities to players and test them at this level. It is ideal preparation for the 2021 Six Nations which will come around quickly after the ANC.”