Laidlaw out of autumn Tests after ankle break
Scotland have received a major blow with the news that skipper Greig Laidlaw is out of the upcoming autumn Test series after suffering a broken ankle.
The 32-year-old scrumhalf ’s club Clermont Auvergne revealed that he will be sidelined for ten to 12 weeks after he suffered the injury late in the 26-21 Champions Cup win over Ospreys in Swansea at the weekend. Clermont said no surgery was required but that Laidlaw will not be able to begin rehab for at least six weeks. Scotland face Samoa at BT Murrayfield on 11 Novem- ber before subsequent Tests against world champions New Zealand and Australia on subsequent Saturdays.
Laidlaw, pictured sustaining the injury at Swansea, damaged ankle ligaments in the second match of this year’s Six Nations against France in Paris, missing the rest of the tournament, and he has not featured for Scotland since. He was called up by the British and Irish Lions as a replacement for England’s Ben Youngs, who withdrew for family reasons ahead of the tour to New Zealand. Laidlaw played six times for the midweek side.
That is almost certain to leave Glasgow pair Ali Price and
Henry Pyrgos battling for the Scotland No 9 jersey, with Edinburgh’s Sam Hidalgo-clyne the likely third choice.
Scarlets flanker John Barclay has been deputising for Laidlaw as Scotland captain since February but he is also currently out as he undergoes concussion protocols. It is understood that the former Glasgow forward has now been put on a return to play schedule which, all being well, should mean he is able to continue against the Samoans next month.
If Barclay, pictured, doesn’t recover in time it would leave Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend seeking an on-field leader for what will be his first home game since taking over from Vern Cotter and leading Scotland on a summer tour which saw them beat Italy in Singapore and Australia in Sydney before losing to Fiji in Suva. Candidates could include Pyrgos, who has captained Scotland before, and Ryan Wilson, who has been appointed captain of Glasgow Warriors this season. Laidlaw’s absence takes away a potential selection headache for Townsend, who went with the dynamic Price in some of Glasgow’s biggest games last season and was rewarded by some electric displays by the 24-year-old.
Price started every Six Nations game after Laidlaw was injured and featured in all three of the summer Tests. Laidlaw, however, has been the fulcrum of the national side, in the key roles of standoff, scrum-half and skipper over the period of his 58 caps.
His place in the team, never mind the captaincy, was called into question in some quarters following the 2015 Six Nations whitewash but he has silenced many of his critics since by showing astute leadership, brilliant goalkicking, guiding Scotland to within a whisker of the World Cup semi-finals and tangible improvement under Cotter.
The former Jed-forest, Edinburgh and Gloucester player joined Clermont, Cotter’s old club, in the summer.