Michael Bradley: the only way is up for Edinburgh Rugby

EDINBURGH RUGBY coach Michael Bradley has sounded a rallying call ahead of his team’s Heineken European Cup clash with Racing Metro in Paris tonight.

The Capital outfit have lost both sectional ties without registering a point and victory is essential even to gain the consolation of qualification for the second tier Amlin Trophy.

“We are rock bottom; the only way is up,” declared a bullish Bradley.

Irishman Bradley takes heart from seeing the team win their last two league games, at home to champions Ospreys and away to Connacht.

“Confidence seeps a little bit when you get a couple of defeats in a row. Two big defeats in the Heineken Cup knocked us a bit. But the boys have been fantastic. They have worked hard and the attention to detail has been great. We outplayed the Ospreys when our pack took ownership of that game.

“We were not as dominant up front as I thought we might be against Connacht and our backs tried to run the show.

“We were a little bit lateral and it didn’t suit us. We need to change that for Racing, do the hard yards [first].”

Nor does Bradley rule out qualification for the premier event.

“I have no idea what is going to happen between Saracens and Munster. If they beat each other, they will be back to the chasing pack and we have still to play them both.”