Rugby: Legend Roy tips nephew Greig for cap call

FORMER Scotland rugby captain Roy Laidlaw is backing nephew Greig to keep the family name to the fore at international level in his old position of scrum-half.

Speaking after he had been installed as an ambassador for the Emirates Edinburgh Sevens on 29-30 May, Laidlaw recalled how Edinburgh No.9 Greig had starred for a Scotland team which defeated England on the way to the semi-finals of last year's tournament.

And he insisted that experience had helped his progress to the point where he has been training with Scotland during the recent Six Nations Championship as part of an enlarged group while Mike Blair was out injured.

"Sevens are an ideal vehicle for improving skills and I say that as someone who used to be Scotland manager in that version of the game. It allowed me to spend team with the New Zealand squad, seeing how they used Sevens to develop abilities and, through being involved in sevens with its emphasis on one-to-one tackling and so on, Greig has moved forward.

"There are three very good scrum-halves in Scotland at the moment (Chris Cusiter, Mike Blair and Rory Lawson) but, having been given opportunities through Sevens, Greig is using that great attitude of his to improve.

"He's not far away from a cap, having been in and around the squad. All it takes is an injury and he will have a foot in the door. I'm sure he'll get an opportunity."