Edinburgh reinforce at prop with signing of Brumbies loosehead Harry Lloyd

Australian prop Harry Lloyd, centre, will join Edinburgh from Brumbies on a short-term deal.

Scotland internationalist Sutherland moved south during the summer and the capital outfit made no secret of their desire to bolster their options in the front row.

Lloyd, 26, will be at BT Murrayfield until December, before completing a permanent move to Western Force in his homeland. He joins from fellow Australian team Brumbies.

Having already completed his period of isolation after travelling over from Australia, Lloyd will be available for Edinburgh’s first pre-season match when they take on Newcastle a week on Saturday.

“I’ve really enjoyed being in Scotland so far,” Lloyd said. “It’s exciting to be joining an ambitious group at what is such a great time for the club.

“The opportunity to test myself against quality opposition, alongside this great group of players, is a challenge that I’m looking forward to immensely.

“I’d never been to Scotland before, so It’s been brilliant exploring Edinburgh in the short time I’ve been here. It’s an incredible city, and the weather at the moment is definitely an added bonus.

“I can’t wait to pull on the jersey, represent this city and make sure we get off to a great start in the club’s new home.”

Edinburgh head coach Mike Blair welcomed Lloyd’s arrival, saying: “Harry is an experienced player who’ll be a good fit for this team – we’re really happy that we’ve been able to add him to the squad on a short-term deal.

“He’s seen plenty of game time with the Brumbies and Western Force in recent seasons, so we’re hopeful that he can hit the ground running and contribute from the get-go.

“We’re delighted with the options we’ve currently got at loosehead, with Pierre Schoeman, Boan Venter and Sam Grahamslaw, however the addition of Harry only adds to the quality of that unit. That extra layer of cover and competition is vital in the professional game.”

A former Canberra Viking and Western District Lions captain, Lloyd represented the Brumbies at under-20 level as well as the Australian Barbarians, before joining Western Force in 2019.

The St Edmunds College graduate made 24 appearances in Perth, in both Global Rapid Rugby and National Rugby Championship competitions, before returning to Canberra to join his boyhood club Brumbies in 2019/20, featuring 17 times in the past two seasons of Super Rugby AU and Trans-Tasman rugby.

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