Magnus in sevens heaven as Scotland win World Series Cup
‘ They’re a real honest bunch, and it’s great that they’ve got their reward at Twickenham’
EDINBURGH Rugby’s Magnus Bradbury was the only addition to Scotland 7s’ 12-man squad for the final leg of this season’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, in London last weekend, where Scotland made history in lifting their first ever World Series event cup at Twickenham.
The team’s previous highest tournament finish of fourth was trumped as Scotland progressed to, and won, the final, beating South Africa 27-26 in the last game of the tournament and this year’s series.
In a truly epic finale, Scotland clinched victory in terrific fashion, as Dougie Fife, named as Player of the Final, crossed the line twice in the last 30 seconds to see his side overcome an 11-point deficit (26-15) to claim the spoils with a 27-26 win.
Head Coach Calum MacRae said: ‘I’m absolutely delighted for the boys.
‘ We’ve had a bit of a tough year in terms of just missing out on the cup stages but certainly the back end of the year the boys have stuck to task, been competitive and, ultimately, backed our game and showed a huge amount of belief to get over the line.
‘I’m very proud of the players. They’ve put everything into it and they’re a pleasure to work with week-to-week. They’re a real honest bunch, and it’s great that they’ve got their reward at Twickenham.’
Bradbury, who travelled to Dubai for the first leg of this year’s series, replaced Joe Nayacavou, who dropped out with an ankle injury sustained in the opening game of last week’s Paris event.
Bradbury, 20, has appeared for the capital club on nine occasions this season, scoring his first try in the European Challenge Cup home tie against Agen.
He said: ‘It was good to get back into the sevens set-up. They’re a tight group of guys who are always eager to succeed together.
‘It’s always extremely exciting to play at a national stadium. It was electric with a huge crowd getting behind the teams.
‘Sevens is a great tool for developing certain aspects of my game. Passing under pressure and defending on a pitch with a lot more room to cover are just a few of the skills I can work on, and transfer back into my XV-a-side game.’