He’s been one of the brightest lights in the uplifting success of the Wales team playing in the U20 Summer Series in Italy.
Against Georgia in round two of the pool games, Morgan Lloyd operated with an authority that belied his 19 years, repeatedly turning big opposition forwards with accurate kicking that Faf de Klerk, one of Lloyd's rugby heroes growing up, might have signed off.
Afterwards, Wales head coach Byron Hayward hailed the No. 9, saying after the comeback win: “Morgan was outstanding.
“We said at half-time we needed to find space with our kicking behind the defence, and in the first move of the second half he put in a kick over the top for Joe Hawkins to score.
“For me, he was man of the match.”
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There has been plenty more from where that came from, with the Blackwood-born player building on a strong performance off the bench in the round-one game against Scotland, when he again ran the match with purpose.
And against Italy on Tuesday night his highlights included a prodigious kick upfield and a try-saving tackle that took a lot of making as the Welsh teenager stood his ground to stop the hosts’ dangerous centre Dewi Passarella head-on.
But here’s the thing: Lloyd doesn’t have a contract to play for anyone next season.
He’s set to feature for Cardiff Met in the BUCS Super League and is in the system at the Dragons, albeit without a formal deal behind him.
“I’m part of the transition academy at the Dragons but I’m not contracted,” he said from Treviso beach, where he was enjoying some down-time after Wales’ 23-20 win over Italy.
“Most of the transition boys do have deals; I don’t have one. Right now, I haven’t been offered anything.”
Would he describe the situation as concerning from a personal perspective? “I don’t know if I’d call it concerning, but it would be nice if I were on a contract so I could feel secure,” he replied.
Maybe that will change, for the 5ft 9in, 13st 1lb player looks a scrum-half who could be developed, one who flicks the ball out accurately and is blessed with the ability to shape a game. He has become a key member of the young Wales team in Italy who have topped their group and will play South Africa in the tournament final next Tuesday.
And, whatever happens, he will be playing rugby at a good level in 2022-23.
"I’ll be playing for Cardiff Met,” he said. “I won’t have a deal with them because they’re a university and there are no contracts. They play in a good league, the BUCS Super League, a competition that is in the spotlight with a really good standard.”
His ambition is to become a professional player. “That’s the goal for all the boys in the squad out here, I’d have thought,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to be a pro player. I’m loving it out here, to be fair, training and playing.
“There’s a great atmosphere in the squad and the boys make it easy for you because there are so many good players in the set-up.”
Back to those rugby players he models his game on. “Faf de Klerk is one,” said Lloyd. "He likes to boss games and control play.
“It’s the kind of game I try my best to play. Passing-wise, Aaron Smith is right up there. He is accurate all the time and consistent as well. My thinking is most young scrum-halves would look up to those two.
“What areas of my own game can I improve? I’d say I could improve my attacking game and running with the ball more, just to offer that extra threat. Having that ability to open up holes makes the defence narrow, so it’s always a plus to have a nine who can travel with the ball.
“But I’m still young and learning. Next week against South Africa should be good. I’ve seen some of their highlights and they are a team who like to throw the ball around and play good rugby. It’ll be a great test to come up against a side like that.”
As always against South African teams, the first challenge will be to cope with their physicality. But this generation of Junior Springboks are also a team who, as Lloyd suggests, enjoy playing expansively, averaging 35 points a game in this tournament and boasting an unbeaten record in a pool that has included the three top sides in the U20s Six Nations this year in Ireland, France and England.
But Wales have improved significantly after their fifth-place finish in the Six Nations.
Big players such as Christ Tshiunza — a veritable battering ram against the Italians — Dafydd Jenkins and Joe Hawkins have fronted up and emerging youngsters such as Ryan Woodman, Morgan Morse and Lloyd have also caught the eye. You can read more about the young Wales captain with rugby in his DNA here.
And the defensive show on Tuesday was of Alamo proportions.
At one point in the second half the whole team seemed to be manning the barricades to keep out a host side who were continually pressing. But Lloyd and his colleagues did enough. So far, it has been a notable effort from all concerned.
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