SCOTLAND captain Greig Laidlaw is confident they can continue progressing despite the knowledge that Vern Cotter is in the final months of his reign.
Laidlaw and his international team-mates have met up with Cotter for the first time since it was announced the head coach’s contract would not be renewed beyond the end of the season.
Cotter was disappointed but understood the Scottish Rugby Union’s decision to promote Gregor Townsend in order to hold on to the in-demand Glasgow head coach.
And Laidlaw revealed Cotter was as focused as ever on rugby when he met up with his squad on Sunday ahead of a three-day training camp to prepare for the November Tests against Australia, Argentina and Georgia.
The Gloucester scrum-half also feels the players’ respect for Cotter and their own desire to win means there will be no slacking in his final months in charge.
“Credit to the man Vern is, he is extremely focused on all things rugby,” Laidlaw said. “He has not mentioned anything else. All Vern wants to do is win games of rugby. As a player group, we understand that’s the way of the world. Things happen that are outwith our control. We are just solely fixed on making sure in essence we give Vern a really good last eight Tests.”
The skipper does not believe he faces any added pressure to keep players on course.
“There is always responsibility being captain, of course, making sure we run a tight ship, but the make-up of players, we want to win games more than anything and more than anybody,” he said. “That in itself makes it easier.
“It’s just natural you will always think about further down the line and sometimes change is good for players, some boys feel as though they work better under different coaches. But that is by the by, we have eight Tests left under Vern and we will look to win every one of them if we can.”
Laidlaw is convinced Cotter will be looking to make progress with his Scotland players even after the RBS 6 Nations, until his contract expires at the end of the season and he returns to France to take charge of Montpellier.
“It comes back to the make-up of what he is all about,” the 31-year-old said. “He is always about developing players, becoming better at rugby and better individuals.
“It’s one of his core values and he will do that even until the last day he is in Murrayfield, I am sure.”
Laidlaw’s relationship with his international manager is such that he has become a mentor outside of Scotland duty. And he naturally turned to Cotter before pledging his future beyond the end of this season to Clermont Auvergne, where the New Zealander spent eight years as head coach before moving to Scotland.
“I talked to Vern,” the ex-Edinburgh skipper said. “I don’t think it’s any secret that I am a big admirer of him in terms of how he has helped me with my game and how he has helped the team.
“I got his opinion on a few things, he is obviously very helpful in terms of spending a lot of time in that part of the world. So he was helpful for me in that sense.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here