Edinburgh reinstate captain 8 years after he was stripped of honour

Magnus Bradbury’s career has come full circle after being made Edinburgh captain for the second time, eight years after he briefly held the role before losing it following an off-field incident.

The 30-year-old No.8 will succeed veteran lock Grant Gilchrist, who has led the side for the past five seasons and six in all, and scrum-half Ben Vellacott, who has been co-captain with Gilchrist for the past two years.

Bradbury came through the Edinburgh academy and played more than 100 games in eight years with the capital side before heading south to join Bristol Bears in 2022.

The powerful back-rower, who has won 19 Scotland caps, was first made captain as a 22-year-old by then head coach Richard Cockerill for the 2017-18 season.

But he was stripped of the armband only a few months later following an unfortunate incident in which he suffered a head injury during a fall on a night out, Cockerill later confirming Bradbury was “under the influence of alcohol” and had “knocked himself out”.

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Bradbury returned to Edinburgh last season after two successful years in the English Prem and first led the side again in a European Challenge Cup fixture at Gloucester in early December.

Fellow Scotland internationals Jamie Ritchie, Luke Crosbie and Sam Skinner also skippered the side on occasion in the second half of the campaign, as well as co-captains Gilchrist and Vellacott.

But Bradbury, who played a leading role in Edinburgh’s late-season recovery towards a URC play-off spot, was made captain for the final three URC games against Zebre, Connacht and Ulster and will retain the armband for the new season.

“It’s an immense honour to be named captain of this club.” he said.  “It’s my home, my city, and it feels like the right time for me to take on this responsibility.

“I’ve grown and matured a lot since my last stint as captain in 2017. My time in Bristol, playing and learning alongside experienced internationals, really helped me develop as both a man and a player. I know I’m in the right place, at the right time, to lead this team and help drive us forward.

“I’m a captain who leads by my actions on the pitch. I want to show the team what it means to put your body on the line and fight for every inch. Off the field, I’ve learned the importance of taking accountability and setting high standards for myself and for the team.

“My goal is to help build a culture where we are all pushing each other to be better, both as individuals and as a collective. We have an incredibly talented squad here, and I’m confident that with the right focus and hard work, we can achieve great things together.”

Head coach Sean Everitt explained that with Gilchrist, 35, a mainstay of the Scotland squad in recent years and away during the autumn Tests and Six Nations periods, Bradbury is likely to offer more continuity of captaincy.

“I think it’s always good for us to have a fresh voice within the group,” he said. “We do lose Gilco to Scotland. He has been the first choice a lot there over their last series. It’s difficult for a player when he’s been out to come back in and take charge of the team.

“The other reason is that at times they’re going to have to be rested. I’m sure that post the autumn series they need to be rested as well. So it’s good that we can have a captain that’s hopefully going to be with us most of the time.”

Bradbury won the last of his 19 Scotland caps on a summer tour of Argentina in 2022, with Glasgow duo Matt Fagerson and Jack Dempsey the preferred options of Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend at No.8 in recent years.

Bath’s Josh Bayliss, Montpellier’s Alex Masibaka and Edinburgh team-mate Ben Muncaster have also been used in recent times ahead of Bradbury, who was called up as training cover during the 2024 Six Nations but did not make a match-day 23.

“Magnus’ form at the end of last season would have certainly hooked up the selectors with regards to him, but we just feel that the team did really well under his leadership at the end of the year,” Everitt added.

“And the way we’re moving forward with the transition that we have within our squad, I think it’s just the right time to make a change. We do have a strong leadership group, which consists of captains that have led this team with aplomb.

“Luke Crosbie is part of that leadership group, Hamish Watson is part of that leadership group. Ben Vellacott and Grant Gilchrist are involved in all our strategy meetings in the week. So should Magnus get called up, we’ve got one of the other guys well-equipped to be able to do the job.”

Bradbury will lead the side in the second of two warm-up fixtures on Friday at Hive Stadium against Ealing Trailfinders, alongside a fit-again Luke Crosbie and emerging openside talent Freddy Douglas – who won his first Scotland cap last autumn before making his Edinburgh debut – in the back row.

Versatile former Bristol back Piers O’Conor, a summer signing from Connacht, will start at outside centre in the absence of the unavailable Matt Currie.