Captaincy was bolt from blue but Bradbury plans to thrive

WHEN it came to selecting the new captain of Edinburgh, Richard Cockerill subscribed to the old adage: ‘If they are good enough, they are old enough’.

Indeed, for those questioning his handing the responsibility to 22-year-old Magnus Bradbury, the Englishman points to his friend and former team-mate Martin Johnson being named captain of Leicester Tigers at the age of just 21.

The Edinburgh head coach freely admits that Bradbury, who only turned 22 six days ago, isn’t in the class of Johnson just yet. But, in a few years’ time with a bit more experience under his belt, who knows how good a player and leader the young man from Oban could turn out to be?

‘I didn’t see it coming,’ admitted Bradbury (below), who won his two Scotland caps against Argentina in 2016 and Italy on Scotland’s summer tour earlier this year.

‘There had been a bit of chat but to be named was a good surprise for me. It was a bit out of the blue and I was a little overwhelmed, but being captain changes nothing for me as I will try to lead by example.

‘I will have a few chats with the team but I just want to keep my head down and do what I do on and off the field.’

The only experience Bradbury — who struggled to hold down a first-team place at Edinburgh last season — has of captaining a side was in his final year with the Scotland Under-20s.

Now he will be asked to tell the likes of former Edinburgh and Scotland captains Grant Gilchrist and Ross Ford, who has a record 110 caps for his country, what to do.

‘They will know from their time as captains there will be a time and place for it,’ said Bradbury. ‘It will be more of a discussion rather than giving orders. They will say things to me still. I am still a young guy and we will help each other on and off the field.

‘Me being appointed proves age is not a factor any more.’

Cockerill certainly has a lot of faith in Bradbury ahead of the new Guinness Pro14 season, which starts for his team with a match away to Cardiff Blues in Wales on Friday evening.

‘Martin Johnson was captain at Leicester at 21 and went on to have a pretty good career,’ said Cockerill, perhaps understating the on-field success of England’s 2003 World Cup captain and the man who led the British and Irish Lions on two separate tours, as well as winning two Heineken Cups with the Tigers.

‘Martin led by his actions and him being named captain at 21 was at the back of mind when it came to Magnus.

‘We’ve got to build a squad for the future and I want to build it round the young players like him. Magnus is a very good player who has just broken into the national set-up.

If he plays well enough, he’ll be in the team every week, give or take.’ The 6ft 4in hard-tackling back-row forward is just the type of player the new Edinburgh head coach wants to lead by example.

‘Magnus is big and tough and likes to get in the middle of a fight and I quite like that,’ said Cockerill. ‘I think that’s key. Sometimes captains lead by what they say. Sometimes they lead by their actions. Magnus is probably more the latter.’ Meanwhile, Cockerill returned to his former club Tigers to sign loosehead prop Michele Rizzo on a short-term deal. It means that Ryan Grant, the former Scotland loosehead who has been on trial with Edinburgh, is set to miss out on being offered a deal.