Greig Laidlaw facts for kids
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| Birth name | Greig David Laidlaw | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 12 October 1985 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 80 kg (12 st 8 lb; 176 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Jedburgh Grammar School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Professional rugby union player | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Greig Laidlaw, born on October 12, 1985, is a Scottish former professional rugby union player. He played as a scrum-half and sometimes as a fly-half. Greig is famous for being the captain of the Scottish national rugby team a record 39 times. He also played for the special British & Irish Lions team in 2017.
Even though Greig was mainly a scrum-half, he was often the first choice to kick goals for his teams. He scored over 700 points for Scotland in his career. This makes him one of the highest points scorers in rugby union history!
Contents
Greig's Early Life and Rugby Start
Greig Laidlaw is the nephew of Roy Laidlaw, who was also a scrum-half for Scotland. Greig joined Edinburgh in 2006. At first, he didn't get to play much because another Scottish scrum-half, Mike Blair, was ahead of him. But in 2010, Greig signed a new contract.
Before playing for the main Scottish team, Greig played for younger teams. He played for Borders under-16 and under-18 teams. He also played for Scotland's sevens (a faster version of rugby) and under-21 teams. His first game for the full Scotland team was against New Zealand in November 2010.
In 2011, he was chosen for Scotland's Six Nations squad. He also captained the Scotland A team to wins against other national 'A' teams. Later, he became captain of the Edinburgh club team in the Celtic League.
Playing for Clubs
Moving to Gloucester
On March 4, 2014, it was announced that Greig would leave Edinburgh. He joined an English team called Gloucester at the end of that season. Gloucester plays in the English Premiership.
Playing in France
After playing three seasons with Gloucester, Greig left England. He joined a French team called Clermont Auvergne in 2017. He signed a three-year deal with them. Clermont Auvergne plays in the Top 14, which is the top rugby league in France.
Adventures in Japan
In 2020, Greig moved to Japan. He joined a Japanese team called Shining Arcs. He played with them until 2023. In 2024, Greig started a new role. He became the head coach for the same team, the Urayasu D-Rocks (which was formerly Shining Arcs).
International Rugby Career
Playing for Scotland
Greig became a regular player for Scotland during the 2012 Six Nations. This happened after Dan Parks suddenly retired. Greig took over the important job of kicking goals. In his first game as a starter against Wales, he scored all 13 of Scotland's points, including a try! He continued to play as a fly-half for Scotland and his club, Edinburgh, that year. He even captained Edinburgh to a semi-final in the Heineken Cup.
In the 2013 Six Nations, Greig moved back to his usual position of scrum-half. He still handled Scotland's kicks. He was the second-highest scorer in that season with 61 points. Greig was named captain of Scotland internationally in 2013. He has captained his country 39 times, which is more than any other Scottish player!
Greig missed the 2017 Six Nations Championship because of an injury. John Barclay took over as captain during that time. Greig returned for the 2018 Six Nations Championship and kept his spot as a regular player. He was also captain again during the 2018 end-of-year rugby union internationals when John Barclay was injured.
After playing for and captaining Scotland for seven years, Greig retired from international rugby in December 2019. He scored 714 points in 76 games for Scotland. This puts him second on the Scotland all-time points list, just behind Chris Paterson.
Playing for the British & Irish Lions
On May 6, 2017, Greig was chosen to join the 2017 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand. He was called up because England player Ben Youngs had to leave the tour for family reasons. The Lions team is a special team made up of the best players from England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.
Playing for the Barbarians
In 2018, Greig played for the Barbarians team against England. This was during the mid-year rugby tests. He scored a conversion and a try in that game. His team beat England 45–63 at Twickenham Stadium.
See also
In Spanish: Greig Laidlaw para niños
