Laidlaw sure to stand serene amid the mayhem at Murrayfield

AMID the Murrayfield mayhem that awaits England on Saturday, there is likely to be one player calmer than most — Greig Laidlaw. Like every man in this Scotland squad, the 32-year-old half back has never beaten England. It has been a decade since Scotland won the Calcutta Cup. But Laidlaw knows Murrayfield has changed. ‘We don’t want to be beaten there any more,’ Laidlaw said. ‘It is our home, it means that to us. I get excited just sitting here thinking about playing there.’ He is right to be buoyant. After beating France 32-26, Scotland have now won five consecutive home matches in the Six Nations. ‘The rugby that we are trying to play helps,’

Laidlaw said. ‘But it is winning rugby as well — we only lost to New Zealand at home in 2017, so the team are starting to put something together.’ Laidlaw (right) backs Gregor Townsend, the new head coach, to get things right. ‘Gregor has done this at Glasgow. They were successful and he has brought the same mantra into Scotland. We don’t just turn up on game day and try and play like that, it is calculated, thoughtout. It is the way we train — under pressure, pushing our skills and developing our game. It is exciting to be involved in, you have to

think sharply all the time. We can play with that speed of ball to pressure defences.’ Laidlaw could have missed this Six Nations after a pair of horrible injuries. ‘I needed an operation called a “tightrope” — they drill a hole in your tibia and fibula and then feed a little rope through. That essentially becomes your new ligament,’ he said. He recovered from the surgery on his ankle for the Lions tour and then moved to Clermont. But in October, Laidlaw’s fibula snapped. He’s back now, and confident. ‘It is no secret I love playing for Scotland, I love goalkicking and everything that goes with it. It is something I have always enjoyed. Last year we won three games in the tournament. This year we want to go better, win four games — why not?’