Welsh teenager Ioan Lloyd has been tipped as a Lions bolter following his latest sparkling display for Bristol.
That’s the call from former England international Ugo Monye who has dubbed the 19-year-old utility back “a special talent”.
Monye was commentating for BT Sport on Bristol’s Boxing Day clash with Harlequins at The Stoop, where Lloyd started on the left wing before switching to full-back after half an hour.
The Cardiff youngster proceeded to run riot with his counter-attacking, repeatedly breaching the first line of defence.
In all, he ran for a remarkable 136 metres from 11 carries, beating six defenders along the way during Bristol’s 27-19 victory.
It was a scintillating performance which had Monye reaching for the superlatives.
“He is just exceptional. I love watching him play,” said the 14-cap winger.
“He looks so comfortable and composed on the ball. It’s incredible the ability he has.”
Main commentator Nick Mullins added his voice to the plaudits.
Reacting to one of Lloyd’s weaving runs from deep, Mullins said: “He is such a threat. My goodness, he is a slippery Welsh eel. He always gets beyond the first defender.”
Now Monye has gone a step further in his praise for the former Glantaf pupil, who made his Test debut in the autumn.
Taking to Twitter, he posed the question: “Ioan Lloyd bolter for the Lions tour next summer? Discuss...”
Monye went on to add: “He’s a special talent. Reminds me a lot of James O’Connor. Superb footballer, good decision-maker, electric footwork. He’s class.
“In 2009, Leigh Halfpenny and Keith Earls went. They’ve turned out to be quite handy at rugby.”
The fact Lloyd is being mentioned as a contender for next summer’s Lions tour of South Africa speaks volumes for the impression he has made during his meteoric rise over the past year or so.
He played his junior rugby for St Peters RFC, CRICC, Cardiff Schools and the Cardiff Blues U16s, before moving over the bridge to Clifton College.
His talent was clear from his displays at fly-half for Wales U18s and Bristol lost no time in signing him up on a four-year deal, a length of contract you don’t see handed to a teenager too often.
The Bears’ faith in his ability has proved spot on, as he has produced a succession of eye-catching displays, be it at fly-half, full-back or wing.
In November 2019, he became their youngest-ever player in the English Premiership when - at 18 years and seven months - he came on as a replacement against Bath, marking the occasion with a try in front of a sell-out, 26,000-capacity Ashton Gate.
From there, he has gone from strength to strength.
He made his Wales U20s debut at full-back against Ireland in February of this year and was then called into the senior squad for the autumn internationals after shining for the Bears.
His first cap came as a replacement against Georgia and there was a longer outing versus Italy when he took over from the injured Liam Williams at full-back early on.
Now he is back with Bristol and doing what he does best - beating defenders and generally causing havoc.
As Monye rightly says, he is a special talent and will certainly be a young man to watch out for in 2021.
