Laidlaw enjoying All Blacks 7s success

Gregor Townsend is not the only Scottish rugby coach earning praise from around the globe at the moment. Clark Laidlaw is too after an amazing start as head coach of the New Zealand Sevens team. Laidlaw, the cousin of Greig and son of Roy, took up the post with the All Blacks in the abbreviated game during the summer with the aim of turning their fortunes around after they failed to win a tournament on the World Sevens Series in 2016/17. It was the first time in the professional era that New Zealand Rugby had appointed a foreigner to such a post with the national team while he was taking over from the legendary Sir Gordon Tietjens. Under him over a 22-year spell, New Zealand teams won four Commonwealth Games gold medals, two Rugby World Cup Sevens titles and 12 World Sevens Series. As a result the 40-year-old from Jedburgh knew he had big shoes to fill, but things have started very well in the 2017/18 World Rugby Sevens Series with a runners-up spot in Dubai followed by a win at the South Africa event in Cape Town at the weekend. In the final they defeated Argentina 38-14 to go top of the overall standings with eight events to go.

Laidlaw said: “I am pleased for the squad to get this victory under our belts and it now sets us up nicely heading into 2018. There is a lot to work on, but I am excited to be with this group.

“My goal is to develop a world-class programme that sees players peak at pinnacle events. “Everything is going to be geared towards bringing home gold from the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. “