Bradbury back with a bang for Edinburgh
EDINBURGH head coach Richard Cockerill praised the way former club captain Magnus Bradbury put his troubles behind him to earn his side a bonus-point win over the Ospreys.
It was Bradbury’s last-minute try in his comeback match after being stripped of the captaincy following some bad behaviour on a night out that earned the extra point.
The 22-year-old came off the bench when Edinburgh were in complete control to crash over and add varnish to the capital club’s fifth straight victory in all competitions.
‘Magnus has been quiet since he came back and he’s put his head down and worked bloody hard, to be honest,’ said Cockerill. ‘You saw when he came on to the pitch he wanted to get his hands on the ball and he wanted to carry hard.
‘I am delighted he is back on the field doing what he does best. He’s got his team an extra point tonight which he exactly needed to do in his comeback after a few weeks out.
‘He is a big, strong man who is a top player, but he will need to fight for his place. We did not need to bring him straight back into the team after what happened as Luke Crosbie has been doing really well and we have Jamie Ritchie there too in the back row.
‘Nobody is guaranteed their spot, which for me as a coach is a good place to be in. In saying that, I am delighted Magnus has put what has happened to him behind him and I am really pleased for the way he got that late try.’
Cockerill said his team were now building up a head of steam after five straight wins, which was boosting confidence throughout his squad.
‘I thought we played well tonight, especially in the second half, and we have been playing some good stuff over the last few weeks,’ said the coach.
‘We are getting better and the five points was the perfect return for us tonight. We are attacking well but need to show more patience up there near their line. We get a panic on if we don’t score after 15 phases and have to keep the ball more in hand near the opposition line.’
The defeat for Ospreys means their win over Dragons last week is now a lone success in a run of nine matches in all competitions.
The Welshman did enjoy a good first half before running out of steam. Adopting a methodical style, choosing not to kick penalties, Ospreys trapped Edinburgh in their 22 and eventually prop Dmitri Arhip got over from close range with fly-half Sam Davies — who also put over a penalty — adding the extras.
However, Edinburgh soon clicked and thereafter dominated. A try from Blair Kinghorn, converted by Jason Tovey, meant the hosts went in 16-10 ahead at half-time.
The second half was all Edinburgh, with further tries from Nathan Fowles, Bradbury and Tovey — who converted them all and also scored three penalties.
Man-of-the-match Tovey’s try was the best of the day. The way the Edinburgh fly-half dummied Sam Davies before going under the posts was a truly superb piece of skill.
At the final whistle, Edinburgh got a standing ovation for the first time this season from a crowd who are starting to believe that the team Cockerill is building is improving with every match.