Roy Laidlaw says rugby tackling contributed to his dementia

Roy Laidlaw, the former Scotland and British and Irish Lions scrum-half, has revealed that he has Alzheimer’s disease and believes that tackling larger opponents contributed to his condition.

Laidlaw, who played in 47 Tests for Scotland and four for the Lions on the 1983 tour of New Zealand, has explained that he is experiencing dementia at 67 years of age.

It is understood that he is the first high-profile former player in Britain or Ireland to publicly link his symptoms with rugby union.

In an interview with the BBC, Laidlaw said that he began to notice unusual forgetfulness a number of years ago and had now had to give up his job.

“I immediately turned round and I forgot where I was going,” he said of an incident at the Scottish Borders Housing Association, where he had been working. “I thought, ‘There is something wrong here’. I forget lots of things. I am not that old. I am only 67.”

Despite stressing that he has “no regrets” over his plight, Laidlaw, who is 5ft 6in, felt certain that his sporting experiences were at least partly to blame.

Famed for his courage and defensive steel, Laidlaw is fondly remembered for his part alongside half-back partner John Rutherford in Scotland’s 1984 Five Nations Grand Slam. After suffering a concussion in the win over Ireland, a game in which he captained Scotland, and spending the night in a Dublin hospital, he returned to play against France two weeks later.

“If you look at my history, I go back to primary school when I was introduced to rugby, I have played hundreds of games, something like 500 games,” Laidlaw said.

“I am one of the smallest players that ever played rugby for Scotland, so you have to get down low and tackle. It is just inevitable that things like that are going to happen but I have no regrets whatsoever about my Alzheimer’s because I have had a great life and I have enjoyed everything I have done.”

Back in 2016, former New Zealand fly-half Neil Wolfe told The New Zealand Herald about walking around the changing rooms at half-time of his Test debut against France at Eden Park in a state of total disorientation. Then just 19, he had suffered a concussion.

“I have a little bit of dementia now,” Wolfe, 79, said. “I suppose it relates back to the time I was playing rugby and did, in fact, get knocked out.

“It was just one of those things that happened, like pulling a hamstring or something like that. You got a bit of a knock on the nut. Once you recovered from that, you were fit and ready to go again. I never had misgivings about my career or whether or not I should have stopped playing.”

Laidlaw is part of a prominent rugby family. His son, Clark, is the coach of New Zealand’s national sevens side and his nephew, Greig, also played for Scotland at scrum-half, captaining them on 39 occasions.

Ahead of Scotland’s meeting with Georgia tomorrow at Murrayfield, head coach Gregor Townsend paid tribute to Laidlaw, a childhood hero.

“I knew Roy had been struggling for a wee while now,” said Townsend yesterday.

“Roy is a special person to a lot of people in Scottish rugby. He was my favourite player growing up. My mum is from Jed [Jedburgh] so I had a soft spot for a player coming through from Jed.

“He coached me as well. I remember he was excellent as a coach. We came off a bad defeat, I wasn’t playing that well but I remember him really boosting my confidence.

“I think he only coached the national team for a couple of games but one was a one-point win over in Ireland.

“I have great respect as a person for Roy as well and obviously we’re all thinking of him and supporting him at this time.”