SCRUM Magazine – September 2019

espite being Scotland’s

second highest all-time points

scorer and a long-standing

fixture in the national side, Laidlaw has

had to be satisfied with a bench role

in his most recent appearances for

Scotland.

The 33-year-old scrum-half played

second fiddle to Glasgow Warriors’

Ali Price, with Head Coach Gregor

Townsend opting to deploy the veteran

half-back as a replacement in the latter

stages of Scotland’s games against

Wales and England.

But 2017 British and Irish Lions tourist

Laidlaw pulled no punches when asked

if he could regain the number nine shirt

from Price ahead of the World Cup in

Japan.

He said: “Without a shadow of a doubt.

I’ll fight to the death for my jersey - I’ll

fight tooth and nail if I have to, and I

won’t be shying away from that. I’m

looking forward to the challenge, and I

think it’s good for me.”

Laidlaw, who joined the Scotland World

Cup training squad after playing in the

Top14 final for Clermont Auvergne, will

be competing with Glasgow Warriors

duo Price and George Horne, and

Edinburgh’s Henry Pyrgos for a place

in Gregor Townsend’s squad to Japan,

and the starting berth.

And while Laidlaw recognises their

ability, the former Gloucester and

Edinburgh man remains is confident in

his own.

“Ali has been playing really well, and

George is a good, young scrum-half,

but I think I add value to the group. You

probably saw that in the latter stages

of the game down in England so I still

have a lot to give to the jersey and the

group.

“I’ve just played a full season and

come off the back of a big final with

Clermont, so I’m in good shape,” he

continued.

“I’ve done this for a long time now,

been picked by a few different

coaches, and captained the team more

than anyone else; there’s a reason

for that, and you’ve just got to have

confidence in yourself.”

Many of Laidlaw’s critics have

expressed concerns that he is not as

comfortable playing at a high tempo as

his half-back competitors

D

LAIDLAW VOWS

TO FIGHT FOR

SCOTLAND PLACE

Having found himself dropped to the bench in

the latter stages of the Guinness Six Nations

campaign, Scotland veteran Greig Laidlaw has

vowed to “fight tooth and nail” for the number

nine jersey ahead of the Rugby World Cup

The Clermont Auvergne man will battle

with Ali Price (left) for the starting role

60 • WWW.SCRUMMAGAZINE.COM • ISSUE 116 2019

RUGBY WORLD CUP - SCOTLAND PREVIEW