Greig Laidlaw to miss autumn internationals for Scotland with a broken ankle

Scotland skipper Greig Laidlaw will face a lengthy spell on the sidelines after he sustained a broken ankle during his stint with Clermont Auvergne.

Laidlaw, who joined the French club ahead of the ongoing season sustained the blow during the European Champions Cup encounter against Ospreys at Liberty Stadium on Sunday which Clermont Auvergne went on to win 21-26.

Even though the 32-year-old will not need a surgery, Clermont Auvergne has confirmed that the scrum-half will be out of action for 10-12 weeks, effectively ruling him out of the autumn international campaign for Scotland.

However, Laidlaw is expected to return in time to lead the Dark Blues in the 2018 Six Nations campaign.

Glasgow scrum-half pair of Ali Price and Henry Pyrgos will now be expected to deputise for the captain next month, although stand-in skipper John Barclay may also struggle to play a part as he continues to battle against an on-going concussion issue.

Scotland will host Samoa, New Zealand and Australia at Murrayfield on 11th, 18th and 25th November respectively.