Bradbury in vow to keep tempo high

Scotland coach Gregor Townsend may have selected an inexperienced side for tonight’s opening summer-tour Test against Canada, but he will expect the team to prove their maturity by carrying out the same high-tempo game plan that produced three wins in the Six Nations, according to Magnus Bradbury.

The Edinburgh captain, who with two caps counts as one of the rookies, insisted that no consideration should be given to that inexperience. “I would say it’s possible [to play the high-tempo game], yes,” Bradbury said. “It’s how we play, it’s how we’re told to play, and we’ve all played enough rugby to put it into practice on the pitch.”

Today will be Bradbury’s first game for Scotland since he was stripped of the Edinburgh captaincy last October after sustaining a head injury on a night out in the capital. “I’d say I’ve learnt a lot, a bloody lot, over the past season,” he added. “It’s experience more than anything.

“I’ve tried to build my game as much as possible on the pitch, but off the pitch, being told how to lead and how to come back, I’ve learnt a lot from that. Hopefully my game has developed as well. I’d like to say it has, but it’s more off the field that I’ve grown a lot.”