Laidlaw to lead New Zealand Under 20s

Laidlaw's New Zealand Under 20 coaching group will also include Rugby World Cup winning Black Ferns Assistant Coach Wesley Clarke and Canterbury Head Coach Marty Bourke.

Laidlaw said he was excited for the opportunity to return to fifteens and coach the New Zealand Under 20s.

“There is plenty to like in this space, there is a great pool of talent that we’ve had the privilege of watching over the past week in Taupō. There was some great rugby across the week, the resilience and effort of a number of these young men shone through, and to play three quality games over the week is a real credit to the teams and players.”

“Coaching this team will be a great opportunity for myself, Wes and Marty, to pull together and work hard with some of the best young talent in New Zealand. We hope to grow them as individuals both on and off the field, and in turn challenge us to improve as coaches.”

“It will be exciting to see what we can achieve, it will be a great challenge with a short campaign, and the quality opposition we get to play, but one I am looking forward to being a part of once I have finished up with the All Blacks Sevens World Series duties.”