New Scotland coach taps into WhatsApp group for his famous rugby family

Clark Laidlaw, his older sibling, led the Hurricanes to victory in this year’s Super Rugby Pacific final in New Zealand. While their cousin Greig holds the record for most appearances as Scotland captain, leading the national side on 40 occasions between 2013 and 2019. In addition, Clark and Chris’ father, Roy, is one of Scotland’s greatest ever scrum-halves and was pivotal in the 1984 Grand Slam success.

Chris is hugely proud of what they have all achieved in the sport and it is also a source of inspiration as he returns to Scottish rugby as assistant coach of the women’s national side. He hopes it will help “ignite” something in his new role.

“We've got a WhatsApp group, the three of us,” he said. “I talk to Clark quite a bit. Every couple of days I'll be messaging, but sometimes it's just nice to connect as family first and then rugby second. I'm massively proud of Greig and Clark and the family.

“Clark's done an amazing job since his time in New Zealand. Seeing him lead a team to win Super Rugby last year was brilliant. So, yeah, I would be stupid not to lean on that as a bit of a sounding board and a support mechanism and challenge as well.

‘What he did last season ignites you’

“The way they do stuff over there maybe slightly differs to the way we do stuff, but those connections are helpful, aren't they? Seeing [Clark] do what he did last season ignites you a bit as well. I don't want to emulate that, but I want to forge my own path and I think I've done that a bit. But, yeah, you want to lean on that experience for sure.”

Chris has been forging his own path with Harlequins Women over the past couple of years as their defence and skills coach but has returned home, initially on a secondment. He will go back to Harlequins after this international window and then rejoin Scotland’s coaching staff on a permanent basis, probably in January.

The next three weekends are landmark occasions for Scotland Women as they face Canada, New Zealand and Australia in Edinburgh in the WXV Global Series, a trio of fixtures that will provide Dave Butcher with the most testing of starts to his tenure as interim head coach.

It begins on Saturday against the Canadians, last year’s World Cup runners-up, continues against the Black Ferns, ranked third in the world, and then concludes with the Australia match. Scotland will then head down under in October for two more matches against the Wallaroos.

“No matter who you play it's tough” said Laidlaw who now specialises in defence. “We're under no illusions as to the challenge and the tests that are coming.

Up against sides ranked second and third in the world

“These are teams two and three in the world [Canada and New Zealand]. And I think the exciting bit around playing Canada is they do play the game differently. If you watch them play the game, especially their attacking side, it’s definitely a bit different to most traditional attacking teams. So as a defensive coach that's an awesome challenge.”

Laidlaw believes the past two seasons he has spent in Premiership Women’s Rugby has broadened his view on the game and he has benefited from leaving the Scottish rugby “bubble”.

After a playing career with Jed-Forest, Boroughmuir and Scotland Club XV, he served as one of Scottish Rugby’s performance development coaches in the women’s game and as interim head coach of Scotland Women 7s. He was then head coach of Glasgow Warriors Women in the Celtic Challenge and assistant coach with the women’s national team during the 2023 Guinness Women’s Six Nations.

He detects a big change in the two years he has been away, with increased investment, a better pathway and a more connected structure.

“I've been blown away really around the amount of work that's gone in in a short space of time to get it to where it is now,” he said. “And I think now we've got to give it time to breathe and drive it forward, that's the responsibility of the people within it now.

“But I feel like all the jigsaw pieces are in place and the people, but I think there's an element of patience with it as well, it's not an overnight fix. These things can take months, years in terms of systems and the pathway to produce world-class players. But we're fortunate we do have some world-class players that sit at the top, but the job of that pathway and the system underneath is to drive more through.”

While this year’s Women’s Six Nations was a disappointment for Scotland who beat Wales then lost the next four, Laidlaw is confident that things are progressing. He has been impressed by the style of rugby being implemented by Butcher who took over following Sione Fukofuka’s surprise defection to Australia.

“He's got a real strong idea around the identity of this team and the way he sees the game being played but then being really collaborative with myself and [fellow assistant coaches] Tom [Luke] and Robbie [Fergusson] as well.

“I think [Butcher] wants us to play a bit with the ball in hand. He sees us definitely trying to move the ball and definitely some short pass game stuff.

“Physically we're going to have to be good around the contact area and Robbie's been working hard around that.

“We've got to retain possession if we want to play multi-phase with ball in hand. I guess my side and the other side of the ball is to try and get it back and be effective in that space so that we can nullify teams' threats but definitely enjoy that part of the game too.”