Scottish rugby great Greig Laidlaw announced his retirement on Wednesday at the age of 37, ending a career that saw him captain more than any other player.
Scrum-half Laidlaw said on Instagram that he plans to retire after the club season in Japan, where he has been playing since 2020.
Laidlaw, who retired from the national team after the 2019 World Cup, plans to turn to coaching but plans to stay in Japan “for a while longer.”
“Throughout my playing career, I have pushed myself, gained new experiences, continually learned, and immersed myself in different cultures.
“I’ve always enjoyed finding ways to work as a team and get the most out of my teammates. It’s something I take with me and continue to grow.”
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Laidlaw won 76 caps for Scotland, 39 of which were captain.
With 714 he is the second highest scorer in Scottish history, behind Chris Patterson’s 809.
The nephew of former Scottish scrum half Roy Laidlaw, Laidlaw has played in two World Cups and was a member of the British and Irish Lions team that toured New Zealand in 2017.
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He captained the Scottish side that withdrew from the 2015 World Cup in controversial circumstances when South African referee Craig Joubert awarded Australia a late penalty in Scotland’s 35–34 loss at Twickenham. rice field.
Laidlaw began his club career with Edinburgh before playing for Gloucester and Clermont before finishing his career in Japan with Urayasu D-Rocks.
“We will be staying in Japan as a family for a while longer, but we are finally here to stop playing,” he wrote.
“It’s time to take everything I’ve learned from my playing career that I could only dream of and move on to coaching.”
