Clark Laidlaw has made a major mark on New Zealand rugby, guiding the Hurricanes to the 2026 Super Rugby title in his third season as head coach. The Scottish-born coach says he would be open to discussing a future opportunity with Scotland, although he is not looking beyond his work with the Hurricanes for now.
The Hurricanes finished top of the regular-season table before recording emphatic wins in the playoffs: 66-12 against the Brumbies, 57-21 over the Blues and 60-5 against the Chiefs in the final. Eight of Laidlaw’s players were included in Dave Rennie’s touring squad, with injuries having ruled out several others.
Laidlaw has spent 18 years in New Zealand, on and off. He moved there at 30 to work as a skills coach for Taranaki, after coaching Jed-Forest and working for East Lothian Council. His coaching career also included success with New Zealand’s sevens programme, winning gold at the Commonwealth Games and Sevens World Cup, and silver at the Tokyo Olympics.
Asked about the prospect of taking charge of Scotland after the World Cup, Laidlaw praised Gregor Townsend’s work and said he would welcome a conversation. Returning to Scotland would mean uprooting his life in New Zealand, he noted, and he said his immediate priority is the Hurricanes. He added that he would consider international rugby if an opportunity arose.
Laidlaw is the son of former Scotland scrum-half Roy Laidlaw, who won 47 caps and four for the British and Irish Lions. Roy now lives in a care home in Jed and has dementia. His son said he is safe and healthy, but described being far from Scotland as one of the hardest parts of his life in New Zealand.
Sources: BBC Sport.