The transplanted Scot doing famous father proud in New Zealand — SkimNews
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- Clark Laidlaw led the Hurricanes to the 2026 Super Rugby title in his third season in charge, finishing atop the regular table before wins of 66-12 over the Brumbies, 57-21 over the Blues and 60-5 over the Chiefs.
- Scotland will have Laidlaw on its side for Saturday’s Murrayfield match against the All Blacks; he said New Zealand would field its strongest possible team but believed Scotland could win.
- Hurricanes supplied eight players to Dave Rennie’s touring squad, with injuries preventing the total from reaching double figures.
- Clark Laidlaw left Scotland at 30 to become Taranaki’s skills coach and has spent 18 years in New Zealand on and off, holding a New Zealand passport and crediting Maori and Pacific Island culture with making him more empathetic.
- Clark Laidlaw coached New Zealand to Commonwealth Games gold, World Cup Sevens gold and Olympic silver in Tokyo during his successful sevens tenure.
- Roy Laidlaw won 47 Scotland caps and four Lions caps as part of the 1984 Grand Slam side; his son says Roy is in a care home in Jed with dementia and that living so far away is one of the hardest parts of his life.
- Clark Laidlaw said he would welcome a conversation about taking over Scotland from Gregor Townsend after the World Cup, while stressing that his immediate focus remains on the Hurricanes and that returning would mean uprooting his life in New Zealand.
Why it matters: Eight Hurricanes players are in Dave Rennie’s touring squad, giving Scotland’s Saturday setup direct insight into the All Blacks through Laidlaw’s work with the 2026 Super Rugby champion. His openness to a post-World Cup conversation about replacing Gregor Townsend also makes a championship-winning New Zealand-based coach relevant to Scotland’s future.
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