It's sandbags at dawn for Bradley's boys

EDINBURGH players might be forgiven for not wishing to emerge from their beds this weekend, but new coach Michael Bradley has promised that if they do so after three of the most arduous days of their rugby lives they might be allowed to play with a rugby ball.

The squad returned yesterday from a camp with 45 Commando, the "Sea Soldiers" of the Royal Navy's 3 Commando Brigade, based at RM Condor at Arbroath. The Navy have been keen to involve themselves in the community, and while around 750 Marines are currently fighting in Afghanistan, Edinburgh have followed Glasgow Warriors in being put through Marines exercises by members of the unit's back-up.

It is a venue tried and tested by Glasgow in recent seasons, but it was sprung on their Edinburgh rivals only on Wednesday by Bradley in an effort to bring some variety to their pre-season training.

"They didn't know anything about it until they pitched up on Wednesday, but that was all part of the mental test," said the Irishman, with more than a hint of a smile.

That was only the first of the tests, mental and physical, as the players were handed fatigues on arrival at Condor, and split into groups for a series of demanding Marines exercises that would go on into the early hours, through heavy mud, with sandbags on their backs, up and down dunes, with little sleep and crack-of-dawn starts to ensure fatigue was a common thread through Thursday and Friday.

"The boys did very well," said Bradley. "The thinking behind it was that we could learn from the Marines who train for and deal with extreme situations, and understand how the mind works and how it needs to be able to control the body in a positive and negative way.

"It was about challenging the lads in new ways, but so that they understand in the future that to achieve or win something you sometimes have to go to extraordinary lengths, which the Marines do every day.

"For us, it was part of a process; a wider picture of preparation for a season where we want to improve and be successful. It's not the only part of what we'll do this year in exposing players to the knowledge they will need to turn situations like a draw into a victory; where they know the desire and drive will come from within the strength of the team.

"It is still early days - we're just seven weeks into pre-season - but my impression of the Edinburgh players is that they are good professionals, they train hard and are willing to take on board what you give them. The real test comes when we get out on the field and start playing games."

The players will be pleased to learn that they will move from the strength and conditioning Commando phase of pre-season to a more skills-focused training from Monday. But the tests will continue.

Bradley, who arrived in Edinburgh in May after seven years at Connacht and a brief spell with the Georgian national team, is keen to continue the process of instilling principles that he believes are vital to turn Edinburgh from a competitive side, with the odd great win, into a title challenger.

He is reluctant at this stage to start talking about how he plans to achieve that, especially with the core of the side on World Cup duty until late October, with the real test of games, and pre-season matches against Sale and Newcastle, still a month away.

"I have a feeling for where I'd like to take Edinburgh," he said, "but I'd rather wait until I can point to it, see the evidence and say ‘that's what I want us to do and keep doing'.

"We know that Edinburgh play fantastic attacking rugby, but my feeling is that we need to be more physical in attack and defence. There are no matches yet and we're in the business of winning matches, so you can't say much right now, but getting to know each other and starting to challenge in different areas and philosophies is a good process to go through.

"I've learned and developed as a coach as well and want to bring what I've learned from Connacht, and working with Ireland U21s and the A team to Edinburgh. At this point, I believe the boys need to understand why they're doing something and that they can do it, before going too deeply into the technical, because they'll get that anyway.

"The focus so far has been with Andy Boyd [fitness coach] and his team, with a little bit of skills and technical work. But we've spent a fair bit of time on what we're about and why, which puts us in a good position to move into the next phase next week, which will be more rugby-focused and about getting the strategies in place that we feel will make us very competitive."

With ten internationalists currently in camp with the Scotland squad, and perhaps glad of it when they hear of the challenges faced by their Edinburgh teammates in the past few days, Edinburgh have the squad that will carry them through the first two months of the new RaboDirect Pro12 league season.

Expecting to be without the first choice front row of Allan Jacobsen, Ross Ford and Geoff Cross (all on World Cup duty), Bradley has decided against hiring the Argentine prop who was on trial and so is still on the lookout for a pack-anchoring tighthead. But he is pleased with the progress of youngsters Lewis Niven and Jack Gilding.

"I am happy with our young lads Lewis and Jack, but I would probably be just a bit more comfortable with an experienced prop in there to back them up, so we're in the market for a tighthead."

He will also bring new defence coach Billy McGinty into the fray a week on Monday to begin stepping up the defensive training, as the pre-season begins to build towards the first friendly, away to Sale on 19 August.

But Bradley has found some time to enjoy getting to grips with the city of Edinburgh, along with his family after their move from Ireland.

He added: "I always loved coming here as a player and it's been great getting to know it a bit more, especially five hours at the zoo with my daughter the other day - we're family members there now! We had great weather last week, but everyone tells me that that was our summer, so it's maybe not unlike the west of Ireland.

"There are a lot of memories for me here and I'm looking forward to catching up with old foes down in the Borders as well, guys like Roy Laidlaw, John Rutherford and John Jeffrey.

"It's a fantastic city to be part of, and that has been a big part of our pre-season as well. It's important that the boys understand that they are representing a great European city, as well as the east of Scotland really when they pull on the jersey.

"They get that. They're a good bunch of lads, and I'm excited working with them, so we might let them see a ball when we get back to it on Monday."