Borders rugby legend Greig Laidlaw joins class act of coaching talent at Edinburgh school
Borders rugby legend Greig Laidlaw has been signed up by Edinburgh’s Merchiston Castle School as a coach.
The Jedburgh 40-year-old is one of three past and present Scotland internationals recruited by the Colinton school to help nurture future generations of players as part of a new sports coaching programme, the others being Jamie Dobie and Magnus Bradbury.
Also joining up are Rob Carmichael, Jamie McCaig and – replacing former Hawick flanker Roddy Deans, now the Scottish Rugby Union’s pathway and coach development manager for the Borders and East Lothian, as director of rugby – Jack Moran.
Scrum-half Laidlaw, capped 76 times between 2010 and 2019, 40 of them as captain, was most recently employed as an assistant to Scotland under-20s head coach Fergus Pringle after being sacked as head coach of Japan’s Urayasu D-Rocks last August and he’s also an ambassador for Kelso’s Schloss Roxburghe golf club.
“This is a hugely exciting moment for Merchiston and a major investment in the opportunities and experiences available to our boys,” said Nick De Luca, a former Scotland teammate of Laidlaw’s now at the capital city school as director of sport and activities.
“Merchiston continues to build on its strong foundations as we look ahead to the season to come, with an outstanding coaching group joining the programme to further strengthen the environment for pupils.
“This group brings a wealth of international, professional and performance experience, adding fresh insight and specialist expertise to an already-ambitious rugby programme.
“Bringing together coaches and mentors who are current and former internationals creates an incredibly ambitious environment for young players.
“To have Jack Moran as our new director of rugby is especially exciting, given his experience, ambition and proven track record in developing young athletes.
“We’re also incredibly proud to see former Merchiston pupils like Magnus Bradbury and Jamie Dobie returning to support the next generation coming through the school. They are brilliant examples of the pathway from Merchiston into the professional game and are exceptional role models to our pupils, demonstrating the standards, ambition and values we want our boys to aspire to.
“The new rugby coaching programme is made of people who care deeply about developing young men, not just rugby players.
“That combination of high performance, strong values and outstanding support is what makes Merchiston special.”