Magnus helps Scotland retain Calcutta Cup
Scotland pulled off a momentous comeback on Saturday against England to retain the Calcutta Cup, and Oban’s Magnus Bradbury played his part in the historic rugby game.
Scotland trailed by 31 points at one stage and went into half time trailing by 24, but through sheer grit and determination managed to turn the tables in the second half and led 38-31 with minutes to go.
However, a late try from England at Twickenham saw the game end in a 38-38 draw.
On the 49th minute, Ali Price chipped the ball over England’s defensive line, before offloading the ball to 23-year-old Bradbury, who went on a ‘rampaging run’ to score his country’s third try.
At this point, the score was 31-19 to England, but Scotland continued to chip-away at the lead.
Scotland levelled on the 59th minute through a Finn Russell try and a conversion from Greig Laidlaw.
And with just four minutes left on the clock, Sam Johnson ran through three tackles, before diving between the posts and putting his side in front. Laidlaw converted to make it 38-31 in Scotland’s favour.
However, celebrations didn’t last long and England’s George Ford scored a last minute try and the match, which saw Scotland trail by 31 points, ended in a draw.
Bradbury, who plays for Edinburgh Rugby, only returned to international duty last month, following a four-month stint on the sidelines due to a shoulder injury.
Speaking to The Oban Times, Bradbury said: ‘It was a mental game. We were up against it after the first half but the way the boys came back and stuck in, it was amazing.’
When asked what it felt like to score in a game of that magnitude, the 23-year-old said: ‘It was great as well. It was special. It was good having my family there and my girlfriend managed to make it.’
He added: ‘It would have been special to finish the tournament by beating England at Twickenham.’