Last month, he helped the second division side reach the promotion-relegation play-off.

"We intend to stay as a family in Japan a while longer, but it is here I will finally hang up my playing boots," Laidlaw, who won 76 caps for Scotland, 39 as captain, wrote on Instagram.

"It is time to take everything I have learnt, from a playing career I could only have dreamt of, and move on into coaching."

Laidlaw began his club career with Edinburgh and went on to play for Gloucester and Clermont before moving to Japan in 2020, describing his time there as "the most incredible experience".

The nephew of former Scotland scrum-half Roy Laidlaw played in two World Cups and was a member of the British and Irish Lions squad that toured New Zealand in 2017 but retired from Test rugby after the 2019 finals.

"Throughout my playing career I have pushed myself, I have taken on new experiences, continuously learnt and immersed myself in different cultures," he added.

"I have always enjoyed figuring out how to work as a team and how to get the best out of my team-mates, things I will take with me and continue to develop."