Michael Bradley left infuriated by Edinburgh’s poor tackling

By DAVID FERGUSON
Published on 22/12/2012 04:51

EDINBURGH coach Michael Bradley was a ball of frustration at the final whistle at Scotstoun last night, but remained confident that if his players can improve their tackling they will gain revenge in the return at Murrayfield next week.

He said: “We fell off tackles and Glasgow have proved in the past that they are very strong at home and so you cannot do that. We did it twice and the last try they got was a well-worked try, but that was a horrible start.

“Basically we gave them 17 points of a start in the competition and we have to be much, much better than that. It’s not acceptable really. We fight hard for the ball when we have it and then when they have it we give them too many openings.

“We’re obviously very upset. It’s not a question of talent or ability, but application. We have to cop ourselves on and not do what we did there today, which was rugby suicide in the first half. Glasgow turned up expecting a tough game but that was an easy game in the first half, like a training session for them.

“With different application in the second half we came back and made it hard for them, and that does give us a chance next week, but we shouldn’t be talking about doing well and only losing by nine points. That’s not the ambition of Edinburgh Rugby. We should be winning games like that.”

Now ten points off the play-offs in seventh in the RaboDirect PRO12, Bradley knows his side cannot afford another defeat if they are to push for the top four in the second half of the season. “The first priority at Murrayfield next week is points. We didn’t get any again and that knocks us back, so we have four or five championship points to fight for next week, which we will do.

“We’re playing at home, the surface will be different but we have to make tackles like we did in the second half and not fall off them like we did in the first. Glasgow are still a very good side so we don’t know who’s going to win but it at least gives us an even chance to win the game, which is what the message will be during the week.”