High-flying French will not faze Magnus
Some
Scotland players might have felt in need of a cuddle after the first couple of Six Nations games.
Not Magnus Bradbury, who got a big hug from his mum on the Murrayfield pitch BEFORE the ill-fated Calcutta Cup match.
Mum Dee, you see, is President of the SRU and couldn’t contain herself as she got to her first-born while introducing the team to Princess Anne.
So is she under strict orders not to repeat the very public display of affection when France come calling next Sunday?
“Hopefully!” laughs the hulking Edinburgh No.8.
“That was a nice moment for my family, I’m not going to lie, albeit I have had some stick for it.
“I wasn’t sure whether to high five her or what – she might have slapped me on TV! – but, no, it was good.”
Cuddle or not, Bradbury is looking forward to the fixture, saying: “We fancy ourselves against anyone at Murrayfield in front of a home crowd, it’s a great experience for everyone involved.
“I look forward to every game but it is always special at home – you get off that bus to go to the changing rooms and the senior players tell you: ‘Take your headphones off and listen to this’.”
Les Bleus pitch up in Edinburgh after three wins on the trot, and with the scent of a Grand Slam in their nostrils.
And the 24-year-old admits: “A French team with that kind of momentum behind them, when they play confidently, it’s going to be a tough game, a physical game and a fast game.
“Some commentators get a bit ahead of themselves but in this competition in particular, any team can beat anyone.
“We don’t see ourselves as underdogs, we see ourselves as a good team who can compete with anyone.
“We’re going out there preparing for another physical, fast Test match against a team who are playing some good rugby at the moment. We understand the challenge that poses.”
Asked what’s impressed him about France this year, Bradbury says: “The youth coming through, how young that team is and how successful early on – that’s a team for a while going forward and that can only get better.
“I tend to look at the back-row players, being a back-row myself, and they work really well, they bounce off each other really well.
“And then you have even more dynamic players like Cameron Woki on the bench coming on to replace them. It’s going to be a good battle next weekend.”
In their three ties to date, France have come roaring out of the traps to build an impressive half-time lead, and then hung on to defend it after the interval.
“I think that’s how most teams like to start. We spoke about that with Italy and England, so it’s not something we’re not used to,” Bradbury adds.
“And it’s how we want to start, too, shellshock teams and get early points on the board. It’s difficult now for teams to resurge and put pressure on teams that have made a good start.”
The Scots have won the last three Murrayfield fixtures between the teams but Bradbury warns: “It is a different France team, they’ve shown that with recent results.
“We can’t rely on confidence from the senior players who have beaten France before, it’s up to us to ask them how it worked but we fancy our chances at home against any team, any time as long as we turn up and do a job.
“Consistency is key. We’ve had a good away win in Rome and to now beat this French team at home would be a massive step in the right direction.”