Rugby, being mum and Typhoon Hagibis - Dee tells of RWC experience
‘It has been the trip of a lifetime and I am eternally grateful for the experience’
‘Everyone seems to know where Oban is or has been there,’ added Dee. ‘We met Martin Sayer and Dr Wilson at the fan base at Scotland House in Yokohama.’
While Mrs Bradbury was busy with her official duties, son Magnus was involved on the playing side, having been called into Gregor Townsend’s squad at the last minute as precautionary injury cover for Jamie Ritchie. The 24-year-old back row man found himself in the thick of the action after a knee injury halted Hamish Watson’s progress in the tournament during the opening match.
Magnus played in three of Scotland’s four group matches, making a huge impact on all of them.
‘It was very emotional to see our son play in a World Cup, one of the highlights of my visit,’ said Dee.
Despite being a proud mum however, president Bradbury admits that having two roles to play is not always easy.
‘It’s sometimes quite difficult to reconcile the two different roles, but I have to give him [Magnus] space to do his job,’ she added.
‘Whilst I’m his biggest supporter being his mother, as a former player and coach, I’m also his biggest critic.
‘Apart from a lunch in Yokohama the day after the Japan match, we left him to his own devices in camp and to focus on the matches. He was sore and tired, but has had a great experience.’
Dee also admitted to feeling disappointed following Scotland’s defeat in their opener against Ireland but showed diplomacy befitting her position in terms of her thoughts on the overall team result.
‘I feel that it is the role of the coaches and analysts to point out what went wrong,’ she said.
RWC 2019 will also be
remembered for the devastating Typhoon Hagibis which left a trail of destruction as it battered its way across the country.
‘Compared to other areas, we were lucky,’ commented Dee.
‘Our room was on the 30th floor, and you could feel the building sway and creak in the wind. We also had an earthquake the same night which was an interesting experience.
‘The Typhoon was huge in magnitude and whilst there are dozens of reported deaths, people are still missing, which is terribly tragic. We met with our colleagues from the Japan Rugby Union the other night, where we pledged our solidarity and expressed our sympathy for those affected.’
Dee returned to Scottish soil on Tuesday having stayed to watch the quarter-finals last weekend.
‘It has been the trip of a lifetime and I am eternally grateful for the experience,’ she concluded.