Whilst playing for Stirling against Melrose, McLaren was given a 26-week ban by the Scottish Rugby Union for being found to have kicked Craig Chalmers in the head, in a ruck.
[4] He also played in Glasgow's pre-season match against London Scottish coming off the bench to replace Alan Bulloch on 10 August 1997.
McLaren won a cap for Scotland in rugby league while at the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats in the 20–22 defeat by France in Glasgow on 9 July 1997.
He made 30 Test appearances between 1999 and 2003 and finished his representative career playing in all four of Scotland's pool games in the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup.
[6] He completed tertiary qualifications in microbiology, from Hawkesbury Agricultural College in Sydney, prior to commencing his professional rugby career.