Worley Brady describes breakout cup campaign as ‘extremely special’

Finn Worley Brady set out in the 2025/26 season as EURFC captain with the long-term dream of potentially making his Chiefs debut. By November 2025, he had already achieved that goal, and he doesn’t seem to have looked back.

In seven appearances for the club in the PREM Rugby Cup, Worley Brady has made 75 tackles, 29 carries and hit 187 rucks.

He said: “It’s been extremely special. I’ve just enjoyed being amongst it, getting a chance to get out there on the pitch. It’s something I set out to achieve this season but to have it happen like this, I couldn’t have foreseen.

“You don’t really have too much time to think about it as before you know it, you’re into training and you’ve got things to be cracking on with.

“It’s been brilliant though. My mum, my brother, my nan and my girlfriend have all come to watch, which has been really special. Getting to play in front of a booming Sandy Park is something that will always stick with me.”

Back-row is a position the Chiefs have always taken great pride in. The likes of Sam Simmonds, Thomas Waldrom and Richie Baxter paved the way before Greg Fisilau and Ethan Roots took up the mantle.

Worley Brady is in the thoroughly beneficial position of soaking up the knowledge and tactics afforded to him by training alongside Fisilau and Roots as well as Wallabies international, Tom Hooper.

He said: “There’s so much to learn when you have the opportunity to train or play with players of their kind each week. Someone like Rootsy for example, just the way he goes about his work and his mindset, he’s someone that I’ve taken a lot from.

“Other players, it’s about their reaction to things and how they target their work. It probably makes life easier in my position in that it gives me something to work towards and someone to work off. You want to match them in how they’re working. It all adds to the enjoyment you get out of the experience.”

The 21-year-old is not alone in forging a place in the first team this season. Fellow EURFC produced players Campbell Ridl, Zack Wimbush and Ollie Batson have all put in impressive performances throughout the campaign.

Does it bring a different kind of synergy to play alongside his friends and university teammates?

Worley Brady said: “I think so, yeah. Probably not so much consciously, but we’ll take a little extra energy from seeing one another succeeding.

“What Campbell, Wimbo and Ollie have been doing as some of the youngest players, stepping in and playing so well, I take a lot of positivity from that. I think ‘yeah, I can do that as well’. That’s been the main thing I’ve found getting to play with them.”

Continuing to play well and remain in the selection conversation is a challenge every player faces, but Worley Brady seems to have stepped up to the challenge well. What then is the mindset which keeps him motivated each week?

He explained: “For me, I try to focus on my job and my role in the team. Ross [McMillan] reminds us that the best thing you can do going into a game is focus on your own role and then everyone else will take care of themselves around that. If you have 23 people doing that, then you’ll get the result you want.

“My challenge week in, week out is to be able to back up my performance and go again. My first game against Sale, Ross came to me and said, ‘now let’s go again’. That’s the mindset I’ve taken in order to move from one week into the next, to give the same amount, if not more, the next time around.”

That first game against Sale was a punishingly physical one, played in the gruelling conditions of Storm Claudia at the CorpAcq Arena. While weather conditions for his other appearances have been fairer, the physicality has not diminished. How has Worley Brady adapted to the change from BUCS Super Rugby to Prem Cup?

He said: “It was a real challenge, but one that I was up for. It’s definitely a step up; there’s not much you can do to prepare yourself other than throw yourself at it, which is what I tried to do.

“The areas of the game I’ve been focusing on are things like my tackle, my carry and the simple things done right. That’ll allow me to get myself into the game. I want to do my role to the best of my ability.”

His performances have earned him a prestigious selection – a start in this Sunday’s final. Like every other game, the youngster is relishing the challenge.

He said: “It’s really exciting! We said at the start of the season that in this position [preparing for a final] is where we wanted to be. It’s exciting that what we set out to achieve has happened. Now it’s about putting everything we’ve done up until this point into the weekend and make sure we stick to our systems that have gotten us here.”

The strength of the Chiefs’ everyday environment has been integral to the their progression throughout the season. Players and coaches alike have applauded the vibe adopted for each training day, and how it has inspired a new drive among the squad.

Worley Brady said: “I feel like there’s a lot of positivity. Even when bodies are hurting or things haven’t gone quite right, it’s the ability to bring each other together. We feel like a real tight-knit group.

“There’s been a lot of changes, a lot of boys playing within this campaign, but as a group, we’re tight. That’s probably stood us in good stead in tough moments in games so far.”

The final kicks off at 15:30 on Sunday, 15 March at Mattioli Woods Welford Road with match coverage available on our website here. The match will also be broadcast live on TNT Sports.