Good Day
For Greig Laidlaw, Scotland’s captain and goal-kicker after he found himself in esteemed company as one of the nominees for the World Rugby player of the year award.
Only the second Scot ever to be nominated for this award which was instituted in 2001 - Mike Blair having been on the short-list in 2008 - Laidlaw has followed in a family tradition not only in playing for Scotland captaining his country but also in being very much a late developer at elite level.
Very much Blair’s understudy in the early part of his professional career, Laidlaw was also behind Chris Cusiter and Rory Lawson in the international pecking order at that time and while he was first capped as a replacement against New Zealand in 2011, he did not really begin to establish himself until that season when he was 26-years-old, the same age Roy had been when he won his first cap.
His early days representing his country again demonstrated those family traits as he showed his qualities as a team man in filling in as an emergency stand off for both club - leading Edinburgh to a Hieneken Cup semi-final - and country, but a sustained opportunity to play in his preferred position has brought the best out of the little Borderer.
The leading points scorer in this World Cup at the point that his team was knocked out he fully deserved his inclusion on that list which also included man-of-the-moment Dan Carter, his All Black team-mate Julian Savea, the new Jonah Lomu, Wallaby twin opensides David Pocock and Michael Hooper and Welshman Alun Wynn-Jones who won his 100th cap in their narrow quarter-final defeat to South Africa.
Bad Day
To be reminded of having over-shared in the past, or so it seemed as Dan Carter was asked how his collection of super-hero costumes was coming along.
With his head coach, Steve Hansen, sitting alongside him it probably wasn’t high on the list of things he wanted to be talking about on the eve of his first World Cup final and last All Black appearance and for once he looked slightly uncomfortable in doing so..
“"It sounds a bit weird but me and Ali Williams (the former All Black second-row) like to dress up (laughs),” he said, realising that sounded even weirder before explaining that his wife has insisted that he give most of his costumes away because the space they were taking up was needed for a nursey.
He should not have been embarrassed, though. It is Hallowe’en after all and he may already own the next one to be added to many collections since there will be more than a few Kiwi youngsters whose super-hero costume of choice will be an All Black No.10 jersey if he marks it with one of the many match-winning performances that have adorned his career.
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