I broke Scotland record before moving to Japan and landing two new jobs

Scottish rugby is set for a busy November, but for one of Murrayfield’s favourite sons, life looks a little different these days.

Fiji, South Africa, Portugal and Australia all travel to the famous Edinburgh arena to take on the world’s seventh-ranked nation in the Autumn Internationals.

And iconic former captain Greig Laidlaw will be watching from afar.

The 39-year-old is the most-capped captain in Scotland history, leading the Bravehearts out 39 times between 2013 and 2019 before announcing his retirement from international rugby.

Laidlaw was utterly prolific, equally capable at fly-half and scrum-half, and incredibly reliable on kicking duties.

He finished his stellar career on 714 points for Scotland, the second-most of any player in the nation’s history behind Chris Patterson, and right up there among the highest point-scorers of all time.

At club level, Laidlaw played for Edinburgh Rugby, Gloucester, Clermont Auvergne – and then made a bold move to Japan to play out the final years of his playing career.

The Scot joined Japanese side NTT Communications Shining Arcs, now known as D-Rocks, in 2020 and played for them until 2023.

Laidlaw called time on his glittering career in April 2023 and took up an assistant coaching role with D-Rocks, helping them win promotion to the First Division of Japan’s League One under Johan Ackermann.

Then, in July 2024, Laidlaw was handed the head-coach job for the 2024/25 season, with D-Rocks now pitting their wits against Japan’s elite club sides.

It was a bold appointment after one year in the coaching world, but Laidlaw already understands what Japanese rugby is all about.

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Upon landing the job, he said: “This season, we are setting out a new vision: to play a smart, innovative, and exciting brand of rugby.

“We want to showcase a style of play that is not only strategic but also exhilarating for our fans.”

That said, Scottish culture remains at the heart of Laidlaw’s life, through two of Caledonia’s most precious things: whisky and golf.

In 2021, he became the first global ambassador of Wolfcraig Distillers, tasked with using his connections in Japan to boost the company’s Asian presence.

Wolfcraig’s website reads: “Being Scottish has always been close to Greig’s heart. He joined Wolfcraig because he wanted to be involved in Scottish produce that was second to none, and relished the opportunity to get to know legendary Wolfcraig Master Blender Richard Paterson.

“Greig is currently living and playing rugby in Japan, and is loving the new experiences that is giving him and his family. He will be instrumental in positioning Wolfcraig in the Japanese market through key industry contacts and events, and will continue to help Wolfcraig grow in the coming years.”

When he is not coaching or selling whisky, Laidlaw’s Instagram followers will often find him at some sort of golf event – he was lucky enough to go to The Open at Troon in July where Xander Schauffele helped America complete a clean sweep of the majors.

Like many Scots, golf has always been a huge part of his life – and growing up in Jedburgh – Laidlaw had little else to do but juggle his time between rugby and golf.

Scotland, the spiritual home of golf, is littered with some of the world’s most majestic links courses and the sport became a safe-haven for Laidlaw.

Speaking after a round with Rach McQueen at Dumbarnie Links in 2021, Laidlaw explained: “I started pretty young. I grew up in a pretty quiet town: there was a rugby pitch and a golf course – and not a huge amount in between.

“I spent a lot of time playing golf when I was younger. Probably as much time as I did playing rugby.

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“I used it in my later years as a professional to really try and switch off from the game. I loved playing golf to just try and get away from it and disconnect from playing rugby.”

Luckily for Laidlaw, Japan has its own rich golf culture.

Former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama is among the nation’s sporting royalty, while they even have their very own PGA Tour event – the ZOZO Championship – which Tiger Woods won in 2019.

Between coaching, golf and whisky – Laidlaw’s transition from being the most-capped Scotland rugby captain in history looks pretty smooth.