Leon David Lloyd (born 22 September 1977 in

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed ...

) is a retired English

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...

footballer who played

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is exp ...

outside centre In the game of rugby union, there are 15 players on each team, comprising eight forwards (wearing jerseys numbered 1–8) and seven backs (numbered 9–15). In addition, there may be up to eight replacement players "on the bench", numbered 16– ...

for

Leicester Tigers Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its ho ...

between 1996 and 2007, spending his final 2007/8 season at

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east of t ...

Background

Leon Lloyd was born in Coventry in the Midlands where he grew up and attended Coundon Court School. He played for England Schools, England Colts, England U21s, Eng 7s and the

Barbarians A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less ...

and was a successful try scorer for the Tigers Youth XV and Development XV. Lloyd made his debut at Leicester in 1996 at the age of 17 and soon after played for England U21 before going on to gain his first two caps for England in 2000 against South Africa.

Rugby career

Lloyd made his debut at Leicester Tigers in 1996, displaced ageing England international

Rory Underwood Rory Underwood, (born 19 June 1963) is an English former rugby union player, he is 's record international try scorer with 49 tries in 85 internationals between 1984 and 1996. Underwood's principal position was wing and he played 236 games for ...

from the side. That same year Lloyd was part of the squad that won the Madrid Sevens and in the following year was a substitute in the 1997 Heineken Cup Final, which Leicester lost 28–9 to

Brive Brive-la-Gaillarde (; Limousin dialect of oc, Briva la Galharda) is a Communes of France, commune of France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture and the largest city of the Corrèze Departments of France, department. It has around ...

. Under backs coach

Joel Stransky Joel Theodore Stransky (born 16 July 1967) is a South African former rugby union player. A fly-half, he is known for scoring all of South Africa's points, including the winning drop goal, against New Zealand in the 1995 Rugby World Cup final ...

, Lloyd was shifted inside from the

. Lloyd played for England U21, England 7s, the

England Colts and England Schools and prior to making his début for the Tigers first team, was a successful try scorer for the Tigers Youth XV and Development XV before a serious car accident sidelined him for six months. Lloyd was included as an injury replacement in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

's 1999 World Cup squad but didn't feature in any matches. He went on to gain his first two caps the following season as a replacement against

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

in 2000, but concern was raised about his discipline as he was seen punching a Springbok player. He played in the

side during 2001 tour to North America, where he played in three tests and scored two tries. Unfortunately he suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery and kept him out of the

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

squad for the start of the 2001/02 season and ultimately cost him his place in the England team. However, he recovered well and scored two tries, including the match-winner in Tigers'

2001 Heineken Cup Final The 2001 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 2000–01 Heineken Cup, the sixth season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 19 May 2001 at the Parc des Princes in Paris. The match was contested by Stade Fr ...

, 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 agreed a deal to leave

for Guinness Premiership team

Gloucester Rugby Gloucester Rugby are a professional rugby union club based in the West Country city of Gloucester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby, as well as in the European Rugby Champions Cup. The club was formed i ...

.
– BBC News; Gloucester Rugby sign Lloyd from Tigers, 21 May 2007 in 2007 where he scored five tries in just six games. However, his playing career was cut short in 2008 after he suffered a career-ending knee injury during a game against the Ospreys.

Business career

In 2009 Lloyd was appointed foundation director for Oakham School, a private school in the Midlands, where he used his contacts to help raise funds for the school, ensuring its continued success and financial security. Lloyd is a Director of social enterprise Switch the Play, an organisation that supports athlete transition through and beyond sport. His book, Life After Sport 'From Boot Room to Board Room' talks about the rigours of post-sport life and Lloyd's own transition from rugby to business.

References and notes

External links

Testimonial website

Leicester Tigers player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lloyd, Leon 1977 births Living people Rugby union players from Coventry England international rugby union players English rugby union players Leicester Tigers players Gloucester Rugby players Barbarian F.C. players Rugby union wings Rugby union centres Black British sportsmen 1999 Rugby World Cup players