Welsh international ‘utility’ back Ioan Lloyd has settled on the position he wants to target long term.
Bears director of rugby Pat Lam confirmed he and the talented youngster have sat down and decided Lloyd, still just 21, will focus on being an inside centre moving into the 2022/23 season.
Lloyd has played in every position in the backline this season, including a stint at scrum half due to an injury crisis at nine. In the Premiership this season, he has made six starts on the wing, three at full-back and once at fly-half, with a further five appearances off the bench.
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Not once has he started a league game in the centre, however in one of the Bears’ most impressive performances of the season, the 52-21 Heineken Champions Cup pool stage win over Scarlets, Lloyd excelled at inside centre before picking up an injury.
Lam said: “This is Ioan’s fourth season coming straight out of school. Part of his talent is he can play in different positions and experience them.
“He just loved learning the game and growing but we sat down with him this season and said now you have had four years here, ‘Where do you want to play and really compete?’ For him it is 12, but a 12 who can play 10. That is the position he wants to play.
“We had this talk halfway through the season but he has had niggles and then he broke his jaw against Bath so he has been out for a while.
“He showed a glimpse of what he can do at inside centre against the Scarlets in the Champions Cup he got injured there.
“It is an area that excites him and it excites us.
“If we have an injury crisis he still has that ability to cover other positions, but going forward we are going to narrow in on him being an inside centre and fly-half.
Bristol are losing centre Antoine Frisch to Munster in the summer, with Hartpury’s Championship star James Williams coming in as a direct replacement, however the addition of Lloyd as an option in the 12 jersey, competing with Piers O’Conor and Sam Bedlow, suddenly provides depth in an area that looked potentially sparse of options.
The Bears’ game plan is all built around the 12 being a distributor and second ballplayer, statistically passing more often than any other team in the Premiership this season, which would suit Lloyd’s considerable skillset to a tee, while giving the explosive hot stepper the licence to attack gaps when they are there.
Lam said: “For us, 12 and 10 have really got to be able to call the shots, and he has now had four years of experience
“I believe a player can handle different positions and he certainly can. But I think it is important for him for the next part of his development. We have to remember he is only 21-years-old. He came in as an 18-year-old.
"He is already up to 60 first team games so he has got all that experience and he has the appreciation of playing full-back, winger, 10, inside centre, he played nines at times as well, and that has given him a greater appreciation as he develops.”
Lloyd was capped by Wales as a teenager in the Autumn of 2020, making two appearances off the bench but has not been involved in Wayne Pivac’s squad since, being told to go back to Bristol and work on his defence - which he has..
Lam agreed there is still plenty of growth to come. He said: “In every game, Ioan has shown glimpses of being world-class, but he has also shown a glimpse of inconsistency around some of the fundamental parts of the game.
"It is about getting to that next level.
“As you come through everyone looks at what you can do, as you go to the next level what ends up being highlighted is what you can’t do and when you make mistakes and turnovers - and I am talking across the board, not just Ioan - those things hurt the team.
“There is certainly a lot of growth for him with an emphasis for Ioan on being a better and bigger influence on the team.”
