Lloyd overjoyed at England call

9:15am Wednesday 14th May 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

Nick Lloyd says making the England Saxons Churchill Cup squad has capped off his best season in a Saracens shirt.

The 31-year-old loosehead prop was in outstanding form last campaign and he caught the eye of England scrummaging coach Graham Rowntree back in January when he began nailing down a regular starting place ahead of Kevin Yates.

However, with Sarries' general form tailing off rapidly towards the end Lloyd was unsure whether another chance to claim international honours at the age of 31 had passed him by.

Qualifying through his grandmother, he was included in plenty of Scotland training camps under Aussie coach Matt Williams before a broken foot denied him the chance to take part in Scotland A's Churchill Cup challenge in 2006.

Now, two years on, Lloyd is on the verge of fulfilling one of his long standing dreams.

"I wasn't expecting it but I'm delighted it has come off and am looking forward to what is ahead," said the former Rotherham front rower. "I've now got to try and take the form I've had for Saracens into the tour.

"I've got a lot to prove - this time last year I never would have imagined all this would happen. I was out of contract, so it has been a bit of a roller-coaster ride for me this year but I'm happy with the way it has gone. I'd like to think I've still got a few years left in me and this is another great incentive."

Lloyd will be one of the elder statesmen of the squad that travels for the competition, which will be held at four venues in Canada and the USA.

"I've never played representative rugby in my career at any level so it is going to be a huge challenge for me but one I am looking forward to," he added. "I'll be a good 12 years older than some of the other guys in the squad - I'll be as old as some of their fathers!

"Obviously I know Steffon Armitage (London Irish) from his days at Saracens but it will be nice to get to know the rest of the guys."

Lloyd was the only Saracen named in either England squad for their summer tours yesterday, with many expecting fullback-cum-wing Richard Haughton to be pulling on the white and red shirt next month.

"There must be some very good wingers in the country for Del not to get in," commented Lloyd.

Saxons coach Steve Bates admitted selection was tougher than ever but has left the door ajar for those who believe they were unlucky to miss out initially.

"There are a number of players who might feel they have been overlooked and discussions in certain areas were very tight," said Bates. "There's still a lot of rugby to be played with the semi finals and final of the Guinness Premiership and the game against the Barbarians the day before we leave, which may feature some of our players. We might well see some changes yet."