Greig Laidlaw flattered by popularity in Japan but says ‘I’ve got a job to do’

Former Scotland captain excited about his move to Shining Arcs and is already targeting title glory

As he discovered during a trip to Meishin Elementary School in Kobe at the Rugby World Cup last year, Laidlaw already has a bit of a cult following in Japan. Picture: Gary Hutchison/SNS

The mystery over Greig Laidlaw’s rock-star popularity in Japan continues but we may get to discover a bit more over the next year or so as the former Scotland captain heads for the land of the rising sun to bring the curtain down on a glittering career.

The 34-year-old, who played the last of his 76 caps against Japan in Yokohama last year as the Scots’ World Cup campaign ended in a crushing pool-stage exit, has always been coy about the mania which saw him mobbed by Japanese supporters and the man all the local media wanted to speak to or about. However, he has clearly spotted an opportunity by choosing to sign for the Shining Arcs in the Japanese Top League.

“I still say it goes back to that time we played Japan at Gloucester in 2015 and I had a pretty good game,” he said. “Then we toured there in 2016. Ever since then they seem to quite like me which is nice but I’m going out there to do a job and play some good rugby and immerse myself in the Shining Arcs family.”

Greig Laidlaw loved his Calcutta Cup victories and says beating England was a boyhood dream. Picture: Ross Parker/SNS

The club is based in the Chiba area in the south of the sprawling capital next to Tokyo Bay and Laidlaw said he was quickly sold on a move to an ambitious outfit, who were fifth when this year’s competition was stalled by the Covid-19 pandemic and have 
genuine aspirations for silverware.

“It’s good that it’s been announced and the news is out there,” said the Borderer, whose 36 appearances as Scotland captain is a national record.

“I can get excited now and we’re just starting to get things ready for heading out there. Shining Arcs showed they wanted me and were really professional in how they worked. They came through pretty strong with the way they handled their business and that was enough to convince me to go for a different challenge.”

After a two-year stint in France with Clermont-Auvergne following a career which took him from hometown club Jed-Forest to Edinburgh and then Gloucester, Laidlaw is currently back home in the Borders with the family at their home in Gattonside near Melrose as lockdown starts to slowly ease.

‘At some point as a player you come across the right coach for you,’ says Greig Laidlaw about former Scotland boss Vern Cotter. Picture: Neil Hanna

“It’s good that it’s been relaxed a bit now. We were hit quite hard by it in France and were shut in for about 60 days straight but it’s good to be back in Scotland now,” he said.

“Originally I was supposed to be over in Japan around early October with the season originally to start in December but that’s been knocked back to January now. So we’re now in email contact about when I can get out there. Obviously I’ve got [wife] Rachel and the boys Ruary [5] and Rocco [3] to consider too.”

“The Shining Arcs have good players there. There’s been good progression in Japanese rugby, from their own players as we saw to our cost at the World Cup and the overseas players they’re attracting to their club game. There’s a lot of good coaches there too.

“I had a brilliant experience at the World Cup if you take the rugby out of it. It’s obviously going to be a different story actually living there as opposed to being there for eight weeks. It will be a different challenge but one we’ll take on as a family. We survived France with all the paperwork you have to plough through there. Hopefully the Japanese will be a bit more organised.”

Defeats by Ireland and the hosts sent Gregor Townsend’s men crashing out early, but Laidlaw said: “I think that’s a conversation for another day.”

He does think the long preparation period, which saw Scotland in camps from Inverness to St Andrews to the Algarve before time at a holding camp in Nagasaki, may have been too much.

“I think we had too long together before the World Cup to be honest and then obviously we played poorly
against Ireland in that first game,” 
he said.

Lockdown has been a reflective time and Laidlaw admits that, after retiring from Test rugby post-World Cup and now departing the European scene, he has spent some time looking back down the years – although he is quick to assure that he’s far from finished yet.

“It’s a funny thing looking back when I’m still playing but, yes, you do and I’ve been really fortunate with the teams and players I’ve played with. It’s been awesome,” he said.

“This trip to Japan is going to be the next step in that. I’m still very highly motivated to be the best player I can be. I always have been and always will be. To go over there and win the 
Japanese title would be a brilliant way for me to finish up.”

Picking out some of the highlights of that 76-cap career brings up a few gems, including his match-winning display three years ago in the 27-22 victory over Ireland in the Six Nations at Murrayfield when he famously held arms aloft long before his last kick of the match sailed through the posts.

“It’s funny, a lot of people pick that one out,” he said. “I was part of it but it was probably just the manner of our performance that day against a very good Ireland team not just that last kick I put over.

“We were going really well at the time with the coaching staff [under head coach Vern Cotter]. Beating England at Murrayfield to win the Calcutta Cup as well, that’s something as a young boy you dream about. The game at Twickenham in 2019 too 
[38-38]. Although we didn’t quite hold on for the win it was a heck of a game to be a part of. It will be talked about through the ages.

“Another one that sticks out is going back to 2012 when we won in the 
rain in Australia [9-6 in Newcastle, New South Wales]. So lots of good memories.”

Laidlaw admits working with Cotter, who was replaced by Townsend in June 2017, was one of the most fruitful partnerships of his career.

“At some point as a player you come across the right coach for you,” explained Laidlaw. “He gave me confidence and I just liked everything about him. We were playing well and the team knew what they had to do. It made my job my easy and just play good rugby. Vern was a big part in my development.”

Laidlaw can certainly count himself as part of that long line of fine Scottish scrum-halves over the decades, with fellow Jetharts his Uncle Roy Laidlaw and the great Gary Armstrong [both Grand Slam heroes] prominent on that list. He may have played a chunk of his early professional career at stand-off but soon made his home in the famous dark blue No 9 jersey.

That’s not to say he was always universally appreciated, with online critics often sniping at what they perceived as a slower service than younger, quicker rivals. His impeccable game management, near flawless goal-kicking [Scotland’s second-highest points scorer behind Chris Paterson on 714] and inspirational leadership always made him a firm favourite with the Murrayfield masses.

“That’s something that never bothered me thankfully, I was always able to brush that off,” he insisted. “People have their opinions but the people who really know about rugby are the ones that are involved in it in my opinion. I always had good people around me to back me up and there was those I could confide in.”

As his thoughts now turn to an exciting closing chapter, the start of the story is never far from his thoughts, and the Riverside Park home of his beloved Jed-Forest retains a large part of his heart.

“I always knew I was representing Jed and Roy and Gary as well as myself and I always had a quick thought about that before every game I played for Scotland,” he said. “It’s great that I’ve been able to add a bit to the history of the club.”

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