Leon Lloyd

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Leon David Lloyd (born 22 September 1977 in Coventry) is an English rugby union footballer who plays wing or outside centre for Leicester Tigers.

Prior to making his debut for the Tigers first team Leon was a successful try scorer for the Tigers Youth XV and Development XV before a serious car accident sidelined him for six months.

Lloyd made his Tigers debut aged 19 in 1996, and displaced ageing England international Rory Underwood from the side. He was part of the squad that won the Madrid Sevens that year. Lloyd was however dropped for the 1997 Heineken Cup final. He played for England U21, the Barbarians and England Colts in 1997.

Under backs coach Pat Howard, Lloyd was shifted inside from the wing to outside centre.

Lloyd is big for a winger at 6'4" and weighing 15 stone. He is strong defensively, runs good lines and is a good finisher. However he is not natural footballer and his passing and kicking leave a little to be desired.

His breakthrough to the Tigers first team came in the 1996/7 season where he replaced the ageing Rory Underwood, and played in the 1997 Heineken Cup Final, which Tigers lost 28-9 to Brive.

Lloyd was included in England's 1999 World Cup squad, but did not play. He gained his first two caps as a replacement against South Africa in 2000, but concern was raised about his discipline as he was seen punching a Springbok player.

He played in the England side during 2001 tour to North America, where he played in three tests. Unfortunately he suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery and kept him out of the Tigers squad for the start of the 2001/02] season.

However, he recovered well and scored two tries, including the match-winner in Tigers' Heineken Cup Final in 2001, only to be injured again when Leicester retained the trophy in May 2002. That injury also ruled him out of the England Sevens squad for the Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

Lloyd also runs One Call 4 All, a lifestyle management company based in Leicester.