Talented Scottish scrum-half Greig Laidlaw has recently announced his retirement from professional rugby, as he looks to use his rugby knowledge and leadership skills in the world of coaching.
Greig Laidlaw quickly made a name for himself as a talented scrum-half whilst playing for Edinburgh in the spring of his career. Following a few seasons of building up his repertoire of skills, his performances earned him a call-up to the Scotland national rugby union team at the start of the last decade. He made his debut in a match against New Zealand, and over the next ten years, he became a regular fixture in the national team.
During his time with Scotland, Laidlaw was known for his leadership qualities and his ability to keep his cool under pressure. He was named captain of the Scotland team in 2015, a position he held until his retirement from international rugby in 2019.
Having played for Gloucester and Clermont Auvergne for many years, he currently plies his trade for the Japanese club Urayasu D-Rocks, for whom his playing journey ends.
Writing on Instagram, Laidlaw was keen to detail his future plans:
“We intend as a family to stay in Japan a while longer, but it is here I will finally hang up my playing boots,
“It is time to take everything I have learnt from a playing career I could only have dreamt of and move on into coaching.
“Throughout my playing career I have pushed myself, I have taken on new experiences, continuously learnt and immersed myself in different cultures.
“I have always enjoyed figuring out how to work as a team and how to get the best out of my team-mates, things I will take with me and continue to develop.
“I believe I have developed a really strong skillset in performing under pressure and leadership – the two areas that I have learnt most about and that have always fascinated me.”
Laidlaw has always been a firm favourite with fans and teammates alike, summed up perfectly by Mark Palmer of The Times, when he had the following to say about the Scotsman:
"He was a guy for the big occasion, for any occasion really, and that ability to respond with wit, wisdom and grace to the challenge in front of him will serve the 37-year-old well as he moves to the other side of the white line. We certainly have not heard the last of this little giant among men."
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