Scotland lose captain Greig Laidlaw for the rest of the Six Nations – but hooker Ross Ford insists they will cope
Hooker Ross Ford believes Scotland boast the leadership and experience to cope without captain Greig Laidlaw after he was ruled out of the rest of the Six Nations.
Scottish rugby chiefs confirmed on Wednesday that scrum-half Laidlaw suffered ankle ligament damage in Sunday’s 22-16 defeat to France, meaning he will miss their remaining three matches.
It is a significant if not unexpected blow for Scotland, following an encouraging start to the championship that included a win against Ireland, but Ford insists they can cope.
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“Greig is a massive part of the squad and a great leader, so it’s a big blow. His captaincy over the past 18 months has really come to the fore and he is a big part of what we’re about,” he said.
“But we’ve got a leadership group that has been alongside Greig helping him out, so those boys will be able to step up and take that role on and move forward. We have a group of leaders who can shoulder the burden.”
Flanker John Barclay took over as skipper when Laidlaw limped off in Paris, while Ford also touted lock Jonny Gray and fly-half Finn Russell as potential leaders.
“Finn and Jonny have shown when they are playing for Glasgow in Europe they can step up and make the right calls,” he added.
Scotland’s next Six Nations fixture is at home to Wales on 25 February, which is followed by a trip to Twickenham to face England and a visit from Italy.