Angus Lloyd is one of six newcomers to Ulster's senior panel for the season ahead, and the former Trinity College scrumhalf is looking to make an immediate impact with the Province's supporters.
While much of the expectation will be centred around internationals Rodney Ah You, Charles Piutau and Marcell Coetzee, the promising trio of Kieran Treadwell, Brett Herron and Lloyd will have a key role to play over a long campaign.
Lloyd starred for Trinity last season and was duly rewarded with the accolade of Ulster Bank Division 1B Player of the Year. The 23-year-old can take confidence from that award and can also draw on his experience of representing the Ireland Clubs International XV, but he is well aware of the need for him to further develop his game…
“My immediate goal is to try to break into the team and prove that I can hold my own in a professional set up. There is exceptional talent at Ulster Rugby at nine so I’m going to have to work hard and improve my game in order to make a name for myself,” said Lloyd, referring to the established talents of Ruan Pienaar, Paul Marshall and Dave Shanahan and the emergence of Jonathan Stewart in the Hughes Insurance Ulster Academy.
He continued: “The boys have shown me the ropes and I’ve settled in well. Everyone around Belfast has been really nice so far too. I met a lot of fans at the Family Fun Day last week and they were all very supportive of me and obviously the entire Ulster set up.”
Lloyds admits that he found the first couple of weeks of pre-season physically challenging, but he is stronger for it and eager to learn from those around him, including the experienced Pienaar and Marshall, both internationally capped scrumhalves.
“We’re just starting the sixth week of pre-season now,” explained Lloyd. “The first week or two was a shock to the system but the body has acclimatised now and I’m doing OK. This is the first time I’ve been involved in a professional set up so I haven’t experienced anything as intense as this.
“Obviously Ruan and Marshy have over 100 caps for Ulster so over the past few weeks I’ve been trying to get as much knowledge from them as I possibly can. Obviously I’ll be doing that for the remainder of the season and for as long as I’m here. There’s a huge amount for me to learn and they are two of the best around,” said an enthusiastic Lloyd, clearly determined to make his mark in Belfast.
While much of the expectation will be centred around internationals Rodney Ah You, Charles Piutau and Marcell Coetzee, the promising trio of Kieran Treadwell, Brett Herron and Lloyd will have a key role to play over a long campaign.
Lloyd starred for Trinity last season and was duly rewarded with the accolade of Ulster Bank Division 1B Player of the Year. The 23-year-old can take confidence from that award and can also draw on his experience of representing the Ireland Clubs International XV, but he is well aware of the need for him to further develop his game…
“My immediate goal is to try to break into the team and prove that I can hold my own in a professional set up. There is exceptional talent at Ulster Rugby at nine so I’m going to have to work hard and improve my game in order to make a name for myself,” said Lloyd, referring to the established talents of Ruan Pienaar, Paul Marshall and Dave Shanahan and the emergence of Jonathan Stewart in the Hughes Insurance Ulster Academy.
He continued: “The boys have shown me the ropes and I’ve settled in well. Everyone around Belfast has been really nice so far too. I met a lot of fans at the Family Fun Day last week and they were all very supportive of me and obviously the entire Ulster set up.”
Lloyds admits that he found the first couple of weeks of pre-season physically challenging, but he is stronger for it and eager to learn from those around him, including the experienced Pienaar and Marshall, both internationally capped scrumhalves.
“We’re just starting the sixth week of pre-season now,” explained Lloyd. “The first week or two was a shock to the system but the body has acclimatised now and I’m doing OK. This is the first time I’ve been involved in a professional set up so I haven’t experienced anything as intense as this.
“Obviously Ruan and Marshy have over 100 caps for Ulster so over the past few weeks I’ve been trying to get as much knowledge from them as I possibly can. Obviously I’ll be doing that for the remainder of the season and for as long as I’m here. There’s a huge amount for me to learn and they are two of the best around,” said an enthusiastic Lloyd, clearly determined to make his mark in Belfast.