WORLD SEVENS SERIES

Boost for All Blacks sevens as coaching staff extend deals

Photo Courtesy/All Blacks 7s

Laidlaw took charge of the All Blacks Sevens at the end of 2017 and since then the team has been on the podium at every pinnacle event, claimed a World Series title, World Cup and Commonwealth Games titles and have made the Final in seven of their last eleven World Series tournaments.

Similarly, Cama has been an integral part of the coaching set up since 2017 while Mackintosh joined at the start of the 2022 season.

New Zealand Rugby Head of High Performance Mike Anthony said it was important to provide continuity to the programme only two years out from the Paris games.

“Clark has done a fantastic job in the sevens programme. The build up to the Tokyo Olympics was very disrupted due to covid but the team finished with a silver medal and I know they are extremely determined to go one better in Paris.

“He has played a significant role in the development of some top young talent and has ensured a better alignment between the sevens and XVs pathways in collaboration with the Super Rugby clubs.

“Along with Tomasi and Euan we are confident they will continue to build on the great culture the team has established and perform with success on the field,” said Anthony.

Laidlaw said he is confident the programme will keep getting better.

“I genuinely feel our best rugby is still ahead of us. As coaches and management, we can still improve, I can certainly improve as a head coach, which in turn means the team can really grow over the next couple of years.”

With the 2022/23 World Series doubling as Olympic qualification, Laidlaw said they will be searching for a consistency in performance to ensure a top four position and confirm a spot in Paris.

“You’ve got to finish in top four, but we want to win. It’s obvious we need to have a real consistency through the year, we need to have a team that can go out and accumulate points to qualify.”

The All Blacks Sevens team to travel to Hong Kong for the opening tournament will be named next week.

Story courtesy/All Blacks

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