Edinburgh move can help Bradbury regain Scotland place

Bradbury will return to the capital from Bristol in the summer, replacing Fiji international Bill Mata, who is heading in the opposite direction.  

READ MORE: Scotland international Magnus Bradbury agrees Edinburgh return

The 28-year-old has 19 caps for Scotland but hasn’t played for the national team since the 2022 summer tour though he was involved in the squad for the latter stages of the Six Nations.  

Everitt believes Bradbury is a better player than the one that left for Ashton Gate two years ago. He said: “He was in good form when he left Edinburgh to go to Bristol, and it was great for him to have that experience and I’m sure Edinburgh is going to be better for the two years that he’s had down south.  

“I’m happy for him to be back. He’ll be a good leader within this group, and obviously a strong ball-carrier and a guy that’s been in great form for Bristol.” 

Everitt said the move could restart Bradbury's international career. 

"He will see an opportunity to get back into the Scotland side by playing for Edinburgh, and it’s important for us to give him whatever he needs to achieve his international ambitions," he said. 

Everitt also explained why he feels Bradbury is the right man to replace Olympic gold medallist Mata, who has established himself as one of Europe’s top number eights since joining Edinburgh in 2016. 

Bill Mata has been one of Edinburgh's best-ever signings (Image: SNS)

The Edinburgh head coach added: “We were looking for the right guy to replace Bill Mata. Bill Mata was always going to be a hard guy to replace, being the individual that he is, but we've found the right guy in Magnus Bradbury.  

“I know that he’s going to wear the castle on his chest and in his heart. He’s a proud Edinburgh boy.”   

When Bradbury returns in the summer, Everitt also hopes he can help with the development of the club’s young back-row players.  

The South African added: “He’s a leader, we’ve got young loose forwards coming through - Freddy Douglas, Tom Currie and Liam McConnell could learn a lot from a guy like Magnus.  

“And being the passionate person that he is about his club, I know that he’ll be wanting to bring those youngsters through, so that’s important for us too.”