Greig Laidlaw: Former Scotland captain announces intention to retire and go into coaching
- Published
Greig Laidlaw has been with Urayasu D-Rocks since 2020
Former Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw has announced his intention to retire this summer and go into coaching.
The 37-year-old scrum-half is currently playing in Japan with Urayasu D-Rocks.
The second division side's two-legged promotion/relegation play-off against top-flight Hanazono Kintetsu Liners will be his final outings.
"We intend to stay as a family in Japan a while longer, but it is here I will finally hang up my playing boots," Laidlaw wrote on Instagram.
"It is time to take everything I have learnt, from a playing career I could only have dreamt of, and move on into coaching."
He will remain with D-Rocks to begin his journey as a coach.
Laidlaw, who won 76 caps for Scotland, 39 as captain, began his club career with Edinburgh and went on to play for Gloucester and Clermont before moving to Japan in 2020, describing his time there as "the most incredible experience".
The nephew of former Scotland scrum-half Roy Laidlaw played in two World Cups and was a member of the British and Irish Lions squad that toured New Zealand in 2017 but retired from Test rugby after the 2019 finals.
"Throughout my playing career I have pushed myself, I have taken on new experiences, continuously learnt and immersed myself in different cultures," he added.
"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."