Ambition paying off for Clark Laidlaw

CLARK Laidlaw was never the kind of player to rest on his laurels and, as he works to improve the skills of the New Zealanders in readiness for Sunday's crowning as the HSBC World Sevens Series champions at Murrayfield, the Scot's career path is a terrific example of what can befall someone with ambition.

Jed-Forest, Livorno in Italy, Scotland Sevens, the Borders, vying with Gregor Townsend for the No 10 jersey, World Cup Sevens, Commonwealth Games and then New Zealand. Laidlaw has been in the Land of the Long White Cloud for only three years, yet has risen from the post of development officer in Taranaki to elite development coach, New Zealand Under-17s selector to Taranaki ITM Cup skills coach and now New Zealand Sevens skills coach and video analyst. As trajectories go, it's a fair climb in just three years.

Still just 33, married to a Jedburgh girl, Karen, with daughters Olivia and Gracie, Laidlaw insists that he has found himself in the right place at the right time.

The ambition on the part of Laidlaw, and his wife, for him to leave a post with East Lothian Council and head south, was an enterprising starting point.

Sitting in a Grassmarket hotel this week, he said: "I was conscious starting out on my career that everybody in Scotland does quite similar things, from being a player into academies, pro teams and trying to get into full-time coaching. And I was aware there is a big old world out there and there's other people that can help you with your development.

"Davie Gray (former Gala centre and Scotland Sevens cap] was working at Taranaki and I kept in touch. He emailed me jobs coming up there and I applied in 2007, I think, and actually got one pretty quickly. But my wife Karen and I were expecting our first child so we didn't take it initially. But they came back to me in 2008 and it fitted better then. We decided to go for a year, and it has turned into three."

A glance at his coaching record suggests why. He helped to launch a summer sevens programme to "up-skill" his Taranaki academy squad and the province duly supplied more players to the New Zealand Under-20s squad the following season than it ever had.

He was promoted to the Taranaki ITM Cup squad as a skills coach and the province last season claimed a high spot of joint-fourth, just losing out on a semi-final to Wellington. He is working with local schools in New Plymouth - a city with a similar population to Stirling - developing clearly defined sports programmes for 13 to 16 year olds. He has also worked up to IRB Level 3 coaching standard and so delivers coach education across Taranaki and has had a hand in developing young New Zealand internationalists.

"I'm enjoying it," he said in his typically straight-forward Border manner.

"The enjoyment as a family firstly has been great, having pitched up knowing no-one and having to sink or swim.

"The NZ lifestyle is very relaxed, especially New Plymouth, surfing, cafes, and it's hugely enjoyable through the summer when you get five or six months of settled weather - the boys have been giving me some stick this week for the sun one minute, gales the next, pouring rain the next… as if it's my fault!

"But the opportunities I've been given in rugby are terrific. As well as the development work, the schools and coaching, being an NZ U17s selector for two years has opened my eyes to really identifying talent.

"I don't know if 'surprise' is the word, but certainly I've been given opportunities a lot earlier than I thought I would. New Zealand is a small country and everyone knows how rugby-driven it is, so if you do a bad job everyone will know, but if you do a good job everyone will know, too, and they're willing to give you a chance."

Laidlaw was always a Scot searching for something, but he is also a relaxed, easygoing individual with no ill-will to his homeland. Asked about the key differences between Scottish rugby and New Zealand, or where he sees the edge being developed down under, he points simply to the people. "There's no secret. The things that New Zealand have are a lot more rugby players, and different types of athletes. They have the European, hard-nosed, hard-working farming-type player we have but also the Polynesian 'X Factor' with power and pace and Maoris with a bit of both, and right up through the levels.

"Every province is different - Taranaki has few Polynesians while Auckland has few white European players - but when they bring it together and get the balance right they become the dominant forces they are, whether it's Sevens, Super Rugby or the All Blacks.

"You can see Australia developing Polynesian players and it's helping their game. If you only have the one type of athlete, as we tend to in Scotland, you can only really play in one way, whereas New Zealand can play in many different ways. And they are striving all the time to stay ahead, which is important, and that filters through the game from top to bottom with everyone pushing each other to improve."

That intensity is apparent when he returns to the New Zealand squad, his Borders accent still strong but rendered irrelevant by the furrowed brow.

"It has been a strange feeling travelling so far and coming home," he added. "I don't know what the future holds, but I know I'm lucky to be learning from Gordon Tietjens and Colin Cooper, two of the most successful coaches in New Zealand rugby.

"You can't buy that kind of opportunity. Timing has been on my side, but you work hard and make the most of what chances you get in life. Right now all my efforts are on helping us to win a sevens tournament at Murrayfield. The last time New Zealand won (the series] was in 2008 and Davie Gray was the fitness coach, so I think they want to take a Scot on every tour now as a lucky mascot. I'm quite happy with that."