Rugby: All Blacks Sevens coach Clark Laidlaw is confident Caleb Clarke will be available for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics campaign

All Blacks Sevens coach Clark Laidlaw remains confident of enlisting the services of a number of Super Rugby players for his Tokyo Olympics campaign, despite the event schedule change.

With the event initially scheduled between late July and early August, players from four of the five Kiwi Super Rugby teams had committed to joining the Sevens system. However, with the onset of Covid-19, which sent the sports world into uncertainty and delayed the Olympics by a year, those players were available to participate in Super Rugby Aotearoa.

Now, with the Olympics looming in the coming year, it remains to be seen if the same players will be available for Sevens.

“We have not hidden that we hope we continue to have the same players,” Laidlaw said. Newstalk ZB SportJason Pine.

“While it moved in the last year, year and a half, since we agreed with the Super Rugby clubs which players were going to get in, our hope is that those players will be available early in the year, or it seems like some windows maybe later. Super Rugby Aotearoa, which ends the first weekend in May, which would still give a player three months, or 12 weeks, to get ready for the Olympics.

“We have had good conversations with the Super Rugby players and clubs. We are quite comfortable, we know where we are with those players and when they will join us, if they will join us. Just get through this little period and see if the world starts to to be a little more confident, then we’ll also have a little more certainty about those players. “

Etene Nanai-Seturo (Chiefs), Salesi Rayasi (Hurricanes), Scott Gregory (Highlanders) and Caleb Clarke (Blues) were expected to miss out on the Super Rugby season to spend some time in camp with the Seven team and build towards the games.

However, with the Games delayed, everyone was available to their clubs for Super Rugby Aotearoa, and everyone played a role for their teams to varying degrees; Clarke finished the year as a winger for the All Blacks after quickly making a name for himself in his opportunity with the Blues.

Now arguably New Zealand’s hottest young rugby talent, there are thoughts that Clarke might not be handed over to the Sevens this time around.

But while there may be concerns for some, Laidlaw was confident Clarke would be available.

“We are hopeful. Caleb loves his time here, he stays in regular contact with the players, myself and some of the staff so we’ve had good conversations with Caleb; he has had good conversations with the Blues and All Blacks about wanting to participate so we are very positive about Caleb.

“Once we get through this little period, if we are certain that the Olympics will take place, and we are confident that that will be the case, then we are really confident that Caleb will be back in the mix.”