GREIG Laidlaw has defended the introduction of John Hardie into Scotland’s Rugby World Cup training camp, arguing that the New Zealander, like other imports, has added competition for places. Hardie, who turned 27 this week, is eligible for Scotland through a grandmother from Fife and was drafted into the squad by national coach Vern Cotter two weeks ago.

The flanker’s selection, like that of so-called project players such as Josh Strauss and WP Nel, has been criticised by some commentators, including former internationals who have argued it sends the wrong message to players who have come up through the system. But Laidlaw said that Scotland were entitled to play by the same eligibility rules as every other country, and argued that bringing in players such as Hardie had strengthened the squad.

“Everybody else does it in terms of looking at players who qualify for their country,” Laidlaw said. “John qualifies to play for Scotland and Vern wants to have a look.

“Vern has said all along that if he's not good enough then he won't play. If he is good then he will play. It's the same throughout the squad.

“If you look through the whole squad, there is competition for places and that can only be a good thing for Scotland. We only have the two pro teams, so the more good players who are up for selection the better. It's the way of the world and if Vern wants to have a look at him and he is Scottish qualified then that's what he's allowed to do.”

Hardie, who celebrated his 27th birthday on Monday, has been a low-key member of the training group so far, according to Laidlaw. “John is a quiet lad and a grafter. He doesn't say much - he just gets on with his work and I think the boys appreciated that. First impression is that he is a good bloke and Vern obviously sees something in him that he wants to have a look at.”

After losing all five games in the Six Nations Championship, the squad have undergone an intense training schedule over the last month and a half - something which Laidlaw hopes will improve their ability to compete from first whistle to last. “I think it had to be like that, coming off the back of a poor Six Nations tournament,” he said. “The main thing to come out of the camp is that we need to develop our skill sets and I think we've done that.

“In the Six Nations we probably played for 50, 60 minutes with a high-quality offloading game that put teams under a bit of strain, I think then we just came up short in the last 20 or 30 minutes, or even the whole second half in a couple of games.

“Training has been tailored towards fixing that. Training has been definitely pushed towards big decision-making and skills under fatigue.”