Bradbury Emphasizes Edinburgh’s Need for Improvement

Magnus Bradbury states that Edinburgh Rugby must eliminate the kind of “ridiculous” lapses that almost cost them a win against Benetton. Edinburgh delivered an exceptional first 40 minutes at the Hive, with Bradbury scoring twice as they registered five tries to establish a 35-0 lead at half-time. The team’s performance dramatically declined after the break. The Italian squad, assisted by a strong wind, responded with five tries of their own, narrowing the score to 40-33, until a late try by Ben Muncaster and a Ben Healy penalty secured Edinburgh’s victory. Bradbury commented, “We previewed Benetton and how they play and identified their weaknesses, but I think the start we had, to go 35-0 up at half-time, then to let him back to within a score is completely ridiculous.” He added, “The elements obviously played a factor, but if we want to mature as a team and get the results that we want and go where we want to go, we need to be better.” Bradbury further stated, “We’ve been chatting about it and the media has always been chatting about a soft underbelly, so we’re trying to put that to rest.” He concluded, “I think there’s been a couple of years in Edinburgh before we could have capitulated there and lost the game, but that strength of character in the last 10 minutes was good to see.”