Bradbury: Up for the cup

The men in blue succumbed to their third defeat in the 2019 Guinness Six Nations Championship last weekend, in spite of a monumental effort against the now Grand Slam-chasing Welshmen, with this weekend’s match against the national team’s oldest adversary the last chance to address any of the spring’s shortcomings.

Despite the disappointment in the immediate aftermath of the Wales defeat, Edinburgh back-row Magnus Bradbury explained that the relentlessness of the championship necessitates a quick turnaround of focus and intent, something they’ve grasped in preparation for this weekend.

He said: “To lose is never easy to take, especially in a Scotland shirt, but each week is a new week.

“We review the game, look at what we can improve and take the positives as well.

“With the main guys out – particularly the back row – it’s a good opportunity for myself and the younger guys.

“We’re defending Calcutta cup which is massive for us.”

The 23-year-old was called into the squad after recovering fully from a long-term shoulder injury and took his opportunity well by showcasing his trademark physicality and mobility, leading the team’s ball carries (15), carry metres (93) and tackles made (making 100% of his 16) in an infringement-free 80-minute outing.

An improved second-half against Wales saw Scotland cross the line twice (held up once), with the former Oban Lorne man keen to see his countrymen capitalise on the chances created at ‘HQ’.

He said: “It’s those final passes, those final steps to get over the line that’s been killing us at the moment.

“We’ve got those positives, we know we’re creating chances, we just need to take that to the next step now and start putting these teams away.

“We just need to play as well as we can, try to fill these spots and take our chances.”