Former Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw makes move to Japan

Scrum-half off to the Far East where he has become a cult figure

Greig Laidlaw has signed for Japanese side Shining Arcs. Photograph: SRU/SNS

Former Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw has signed for Japanese Top League side NTT Shining Arcs, the Chiba-based club have announced.

The 34-year-old won 76 caps for his country, the majority as skipper, but retired from Test rugby after Scotland’s first-stage exit at the World Cup in Japan last year.

The Borderer has recently spent two years in France with Clermont-Auvergne but has now opted to finish his career in the land of the rising sun, where he gained huge popularity with Japanese rugby fans.

2At last year’s Japan World Cup I was able to experience the culture and meet wonderful fans,” Laidlaw said. “Every time I have visited Japan, I was welcomed with a wonderful hospitality.”

Laidlaw is Scotland’s second-highest points scorer with 714, behind only Chris Paterson, who scored 809. Laidlaw captained his country for 39 of those 76 caps, more than any other player.

Before Clermont he had spells at Gloucester and Edinburgh before that.

This year’s Japan Top League was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with the 2021 season due to start in January.