The assistant coach of the London Irish team is set to take on the head coach position of New Zealand Sevens. His new role will not be entirely new to him as he was assisting previously to the New Zealand Super Rugby league before. He would be leaving next June for his new assignment. He would be succeeding Sir Gordon Tietjens as the head coach of All Blacks sevens. The latter announced his plan to retire after the Rio Olympics. He had spent about 22 years in this position.
Laidlaw had been part of the Exiles team from 2015. He had been assisting Tom Coventry as the head coach along with Grant Doorey who also acts as an assistant for the position. For Laidlaw, it is indeed a lifetime opportunity. He is excited with the new assignment as it would bring in the challenges ahead that would be new for him.
At the same time, he would be learning many new things in this position. His experience as an assistant coach for the Hurricanes previously will also come to help as it familiarizes him with players of the same terrain. It equips him to take on the team head on as he can understand the mentality of the players and how to motivate or push them to perform at their best.
Fans of the Wasps coach might be interested to know that tickets to the first Rugby Sevens match Laidlaw is in charge for are available through this link, with Ireland first up to test their ability against the All Blacks.
The London Irish Managing Director is happy for Laidlaw. He feels that the opportunity is definitely good for him. He wishes him well and so does the rest of the London Irish team. Indeed, it is not often that such positions open up and one gets to cash in on the same. Laidlaw will also have large shoes to fill as Tom Coventry has headed this position for long. He would have much learning to do and understand how his predecessor leads the team in order to pick up the good points from him.