Clark Laidlaw: a Scot in Super Rugby. New Hurricanes coach makes a mark.
Associated PressWELLINGTON, New Zealand — Hurricanes head coach Clark Laidlaw accepts that as a Scotsman and a sevens coach in Super Rugby, he’s a fish out of water. “I have coached sevens previously, so at 15s I guess if I lose I’ll be Scottish and a Sevens coach and if we win I might get a little more grace.” Laidlaw accepts that his coaching trajectory, leading him from the Jed club in the Scottish Borders to the Hurricanes on the other side of the world is an unusual one. After working as an assistant to the famous New Zealand sevens coach Gordon Tietjens, Laidlaw was made head coach of the All Blacks sevens team, becoming the first foreign-born coach of a New Zeland national rugby team. Laidlaw, with a sevens background, has indulged the Hurricanes’ instinctive attacking game, giving license to players such as scrumhalf Cam Roigard — now injured — flyhalf Brett Cameron, fullback Ruben Love, hooker Asafa Aumua and looseforwards Peter Lokai and Brayden Iose.
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