Full name Greig David Laidlaw
Date of birth 12 October 1985 (age 31)
Height 1.75 m
Weight 80 kg

Greig David Laidlaw, a nephew of Scotland’s legendary scrum half, Roy Laidlaw, has made the most appearances as Scotland captain, equalling David Sole’s record (25) on the same day he marked a half century of appearances for his country – a feat he surpassed in the last game of the 2016 RBS 6 Nations championship.

Laidlaw is also third on Scotland’s all-time points list, overtaking Dan Parks’ haul of 266 and Andy Irvine’s 273 with a 14-point contribution to Scotland’s 41-31 win against Argentina in the opening viagogo Autumn Test of 2014.

It was in the year leading up the competition – starting 12 of Scotland’s 14 Tests, coupled with his impreious performances throughout the Rugby World Cup 2015 – that Laidlaw also earned recognition with nomination for World Rugby’s Player of the Year award.

Leading by example, he bowed out of the RWC in the quarter-finals as the leading point-scorer with 79, 26 of them – including a crucial late try – coming in the 36-33 win over Samoa that booked his side’s place in the last eight.

Laidlaw’s metronomic kicking continued the following year, in the 2016 RBS 6 Nations, and saw him finish as second-top point’s scorer; his man-of-the-match winning contribution of 19 helping him on the way to a championship total of 62, that saw him pass the 500 point mark in the last game against Ireland.

Breakthrough:
Laidlaw won his first cap for Scotland as a replacement for his injured Edinburgh team-mate, Mike Blair, in the opening Autumn Test against New Zealand at BT Murrayfield in November 2010.

He marked his first start for Scotland with a try, conversion and two penalties in the 13-27 loss to Wales at the Millennium Stadium in February 2012. In the historic 9-6 victory over Australia in New South Wales in 2012, he kicked all Scotland’s points.

His injury-time conversion ensured victory over Samoa and a three-from-three clean sweep over the southern hemisphere nations on that summer’s tour.

On the 2013 summer tour Laidlaw became Scotland’s 113th Test match captain, replacing the injured Kelly Brown for the Tests against South Africa and Italy. Against the latter his injury time conversion of Alasdair Strokosch’s try ensured a winning end to the season.