COUNTED OUT
Laidlaw will miss rest of Six Nations for Scotland
Scotland have been dealt a Six nations hammer blow with confirmation that captain Greig laidlaw is out of the championship. laidlaw (below) suffered ankle-ligament damage early in Sunday’s defeat by France in Paris and returned to his club Gloucester on Monday for medical assessment fearing the worst. the news was confirmed yesterday with the SRU stating that the 31-year-old will not recover inside the next three weeks to be able to play against Wales, England or Italy. Vern cotter now has a headache over who will replace his ‘little general’, with lions hopeful Jonny Gray the favourite to take the captain’s armband. With this weekend a scheduled break for the tournament, he at least has time on his side ahead of the visit of Wales in nine days. ‘Greig is obviously a massive part of the squad and a great leader, so it’s a
big blow,’ said hooker Ross Ford. ‘His captaincy over the past 18 months has really come to the fore and he shows when he plays that he is a big part of what we’re about. ‘But we have a leadership that has been there alongside, helping Greig out, so whatever does happen the boys will be able to step up and take that role on and move forward. ‘We do it as a group and Greig is the main focal point, and clearly is a massive part of it, but we’ve got a group of leaders who will shoulder the burden and take it on. ‘You have seen in big games in Europe that Jonny and Finn (Russell) have stepped up and made the right calls, so they have that experience there, and as more experienced members of the squad we can take some of the pressure off by calming boys down around them and letting them think clearly about what really matters and what needs to happen. ‘We are also lucky that we have some great coaches who keep on top of everything and keep everyone going in the right direction.’ John Barclay was Laidlaw’s vice-captain in Paris and, with his recovery from concussion on track yesterday, he will also be in the coaches’ minds for the visit of Wales a week on Saturday. Henry Pyrgos, who
has captained Scotland under Cotter, will compete with Ali Price for the No 9 jersey and could also be an option. ‘The scrum-halves [Price and Pyrgos] have been with us a long time now, switching in and out, and so they know how Scotland play,’ said Ford. ‘Their strengths may be in other areas but everyone knows how we want to play and what we’re looking for out of games. They’ll maybe give us slightly different emphasis on different parts of the game but the game plan will stay the same. ‘As a group, we buy into how we want to play so they have bought into that. Each individual brings something different to that system, little tweaks but the system doesn’t change. ‘The key for me is that we keep a level head and look at what we did well and what we could do better when we face Wales. All the players who take the field will deserve to be there and will be capable of winning the game.’ Despite the positive talk, there can be little hiding what a blow Laidlaw’s absence is. It was telling how Cotter’s side missed his leadership and tactical nous when he left the field early in the defeat to France. For the player himself, the disappointment at missing the remainder of the Six Nations is all the more bitter given how successfully he was pushing for a place on the Lions tour to New Zealand in the summer. The SRU stated: ‘Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw has been ruled out of the remainder of the 2017 RBS Six Nations with an ankle injury. ‘A scan undertaken at his club, Gloucester, confirmed the clinical suspicion that the 58-times-capped scrum-half sustained ankle-ligament damage midway through the first half of Sunday’s test match against France. ‘The extent of the damage is such that he will take no further part in the current championship. ‘Laidlaw will see a specialist later in the week to determine the best course of management and estimated time out of the sport.’