Clark Laidlaw gives 'brutally honest' take on why All Blacks don't play sevens
The biggest sporting event in the world has lured perhaps the biggest name in rugby to a temporary code switch, but new Hurricanes and former All Blacks Sevens coach Clark Laidlaw says don’t expect any big-name Kiwis to follow in Antoine Dupont’s footsteps.
Dupont, a former World Player of the Year in 15s, has recently linked up with the French Sevens side ahead of what is expected to be his SVNS debut in Vancouver next month.
Former Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper is on track to debut at the Perth SVNS event later this month, both players eager to impress and find their feet in the game ahead of the Olympics in July.
Dupont’s decision to jump the 15s ship while seemingly at the peak of his powers, despite the obvious appeal of competing at home at the olympics, caught many off guard.
“Does it surprise me? Probably,” Laidlaw told Stuff. “The Olympics is the biggest sporting event in the world.
“I often think of New Zealand as the one country where players could do both and genuinely win a World Cup in 15s and Olympic gold in sevens, and I’m sure there are some young players floating around who are starting to think like that.
“But if we’re being brutally honest, the money is in 15s. The chance to play [for clubs] in Japan and France is in 15s, and that’s not going to change. It’s probably going to be smaller pockets of individuals who choose to try and do both.”
Laidlaw says the Rugby World Cup and Olympics both being quadrennial tournaments should make the possibility of playing in both more appealing for players.
“The cycle actually works quite well because if you’re an established All Black, you go to the World Cup and the next year is the Olympics, and some of the French stars are going to switch over and try to win a home Olympics.
“I’d like to think in the future that players would do that, but ultimately, in the traditional rugby countries, they still see 15s as the pinnacle.
“Certainly, before Tokyo we spoke to a number of players but it’s a lot of energy and effort and there’s another side of that coin too, that for every player that comes across there’s a player in your squad now who doesn’t make the Olympic team.
“If players commit for the right reasons and the right length of time, it’s a positive. But dropping them in at the last minute, I was not a fan of that, because the day after the Olympics the sun comes up and you go back to the World Series.”
A number of current and recent All Blacks have spent time on the sevens circuit prior to reaching their prime in 15s. Players like the Ioane brothers, Ardie Savea, Sonny Bill Williams and most recently, Caleb Clarke.
Clarke is a player certainly not lacking in talent, however, when push came to shove ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, Laidlaw opted to select the young Blues winger as a travelling reserve.
“It felt like we didn’t have enough contact with Caleb through the year, because he’s an outstanding sevens player and rugby player and when he left us, he kicked on and became an All Black.
“We learnt a lot of lessons around the contact you have with the player, what you do when they transition in to get them back up to speed quicker. We felt when we reviewed that process that it was on us, it wasn’t on Caleb.
“Other players stepped up who can play a similar type of role in the time he was back in Super Rugby and that’s my point around when they transition.”
As for the transition of Dupont, Laidlaw says the sky is the limit for a player of the halfback’s talent. And, after a Rugby World Cup which saw Dupont’s face on every building from Paris to Marseille, the presence of rugby’s poster-boy adds further hype to the event.
“If we go top-five players in the world, then he’s in there, isn’t he?
“He’s an amazing rugby player and I can’t see how he will not be good at sevens, especially if he’s committing to the year with France.
“It’s huge for the game and huge for the Olympics. I’m sure the marketing teams in France will be rubbing their hands.”
Comments on RugbyPass
The level of desperation in this article is just embarrassing.
215 Go to commentsSome silly trolling in the comments.
8 Go to commentsEverywhere you turn some irish journo is advocating Ireland as the greatest, reasoning that the wc is a 4 year cycle event so, they say wc doesn’t matter it’s the rugby in between that should account for the accolade. If there was no wc then some substance could be gained, however in my opinion the moment that defined Ireland’s fate against the abs was 37 phases of repeated head bashing against a brick wall. If a change in strategy or a tinker with the game plan was executed then things could've been vastly different. And to point a finger the let down was in the hands of the number 10.
36 Go to commentsI have heard it asked if RA is essentially one of the part owners and I suppose therefor should be on the other side of these two parties. If they purchased the rebels and guaranteed them, and are responsible enough they incur Rebels penalties, where is this line drawn? Seems rough to have to pay a penalty for something were your involvement sees you on the side of the conned party, the creditors. If the Rebels directors themselves have given the club their money, 6mil worth right, why aren’t they also listed as sitting with RA and the Tax office? And the legal threat was either way, new Rebels or defunct, I can’t see how RA assume the threat was less likely enough to warrant comment about it in this article. Surely RA ignore that and only worry about whether they can defend it or not, which they have reported as being comfortable with. So in effect wouldn’t it be more accurate to say there is no further legal threat (or worry) in denying the deal. Unless the directors have reneged on that. > Returns of a Japanese team or even Argentinean side, the Jaguares, were said to be on the cards, as were the ideas of standing up brand new teams in Hawaii or even Los Angeles – crazy ideas that seemingly forgot the time zone issues often cited as a turn-off for viewers when the competition contained teams from South Africa. Those timezones are great for SR and are what will probably be needed to unlock its future (cant see it remaining without _atleast _help from Aus), day games here are night games on the West Coast of america, were potential viewers triple, win win. With one of the best and easiest ways to unlock that being to play games or a host a team there. Less good the further across Aus you get though. Jaguares wouldn’t be the same Jaguares, but I still would think it’s better having them than keeping the Rebels. The other options aren’t really realistic 25’ options, no. From reading this authors last article I think if the new board can get the investment they seem to be confident in, you keeping them simply for the amount of money they’ll be investing in the game. Then ditch them later if they’re not good enough without such a high budget. Use them to get Jaguares reintergration stronger, with more key players on board, and have success drive success.
11 Go to commentsYeah, and ours is waaay bigger than yours. Just as you's get a semi…oh hold on that never happens
36 Go to commentsLove watching
1 Go to commentsThe Melbourne Rebels lineout is a complete disaster so not surprisingly a kiwi coach of the Wallabies hires the worst lineout coach in the country and a foreigner to boot. No surprises whatsoever here…….
3 Go to commentsThank your for wasting 2 minutes of my life Daniel. There is a useful message in there somewhere but your delivery sucks.
7 Go to commentsBen Smith, you are cry baby
215 Go to commentsSux that homophobia is still a thing though. I wonder how many players who could have become legends never kept playing rugby because they felt unwelcome.
7 Go to commentsCrazy he’s only 28, feel like he’s been around forever - don’t mind the move, safe pair of hands and creates depth in a thin position for ABs. Hopefully aides Kemara’s growth also without thrusting too much responsibility on him
1 Go to commentsMen should show strength and be mean, but they should be able to show emotion to those close yo them in certain times, birth of your child, death of family, proud moment. This article is stupid
7 Go to commentsWhat a weak article…absolute drivel and clickbait, well done. Will stick to rugby365 thanks
7 Go to commentsHonest, discipline, humility… Priceless.
2 Go to commentsSo many excuses. No mention of the SA number 2 being taken out illegally in the 2nd minute. That act of foul play had a massive impact on the SA game. Face it, NZ play pretty dirty very regularly, and it’s only since 2016 they’ve been held to higher officiating standards via stricter officiating and TMO reviews. They deserved to have a man down. Sorry. Fix the yellow and red cards and NZ will win more RWCs. Plus, there WAS a knock on invalidating the one try, so it was NOT a try. Period. Here’s a Kleenex…
215 Go to commentsOverheard conversation between NZ and SA rugby fans everywhere: We’re the greatest! No! we’re the greatest! We’re the greatest! No we’re the greatest! Ireland are arrogant! True but they beat you! We’re the greatest! No! we’re the greatest! Etc. etc, etc.
36 Go to commentsTypical crap Aussie weather
11 Go to comments“If they’d have beaten England, I still feel we would have been talking ‘is this the best team ever,’ ‘is this the best team that’s ever played in the Six Nations'” he said. “I still think they’re not quite that good. I actually don’t think they’re that good.” So Trimble is saying he doesn’t think this is the best 6N team of all time. He is silent on if it is the best Irish team of all time. Can’t disagree with him. Just another misrepresentative clickbait headline from the guys at RP.
36 Go to commentsWow, do we really still have to listen to all the excuses and “unfairness” of it all. Even blaming the bounce of an egg shaped ball for the loss. But the article is about context, so what about the Springboks having to play the other 5 teams in the top 6 and still beating a comparatively rested AB team on a very empty tank.
215 Go to comments“Teams would generally have three coaches below their head honcho; attack coach, defence coach, forwards coach” do they? I’m not sure what the NZ set up is tbh, but the other 4 sides top 5 sides all have very different structures to the one outlined in the article! As well as attack, defence, and forwards coaches, SA, Ireland, and France also have specialist scrum coaches. England have a specialist scrum coach too, but arguably don’t have a forwards coach, with that role taken on by Borthwick. SA also have a backs coach in addition to defence and attack, and Ireland and England have fitness coaches, with England also having two skills coaches.
3 Go to comments