In the autumn of 2006, and indeed the autumn of his reign as head-coach of then-world-champions England, Andy Robinson cut a forlorn figure to those who scrutinised his every move.  Glum images tainted the back of every newspaper, and the television cameras followed a head held low as he exited the Twickenham dugout.  The England team had lost eight of their previous nine matches, and Robinson was the one that the press-pack had deemed culpable, and, eventually, cullable as a result.

However a year has passed since then, and in hindsight, there is ample reason to wonder if the slump-shouldered Robinson could have been just a figment of our overactive imaginations because, now enjoying a new challenge with Edinburgh Rugby Club, Andy Robinson has turned his frown upside down and has his chest puffed out more than any man in a 40-mile radius of the Castle that dominates the city skyline.

Is he a different person to the one we saw trudging down the tunnel at England HQ last November?  Or is it the same man, only now he doesn’t have the English media intrusively portraying him as an (unsurprisingly) tortured soul in what was one of the most spirit-sapping jobs going?

Well, with the vision of glowing green grass and royal-blue seating emanating from the Murrayfield bowl over his shoulder, sipping a post-lunchtime coffee, it is hard to picture a more cheery, optimistic and forward-thinking man than the Andy Robinson of Edinburgh, as he sits in front of In The Winning Zone waiting to be quizzed. 

We may be approaching another cold, wet winter, but it is definitely spring-time in his book, and the sun is definitely shining.  His new team are out of the starting blocks and have recorded their first victory of his tenure, and have several thrilling ties with the star-studded behemoths of European rugby awaiting them in the coming months - starting with Brian O’Driscoll’s Leinster in Dublin this Friday.  Plus he has just accepted a coaching role with Scotland ‘A’ alongside his cross-country counterpart Sean Lineen. 

But then again, it is no great surprise.  Asides from being newly relocated in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, it appears that Robinson is in fact, quite simply, a very positive man.  Prior to his stint as the main-man at Twickers, he had enjoyed a playing and coaching career packed with glory, good-times, trophies and accolades, a World Cup and Heineken Cup amongst them.  Still, whether it is the misery of last year or the joy of four years ago (when he won the World Cup), for Andy Robinson there is no point in looking back.

“For me it’s about the next day, it’s about waking up with a smile on your face, looking forward to the challenges that are ahead and enjoying the challenges which are already there.”

This philosophy, he explains, derives not from his many years and countless experiences in rugby, but something much closer to home.  His father, himself a successful rugby player and cricketer, contracted Multiple Sclerosis when Andy was just 13.  But rather than allow the neurological disease to eat away at him, and even though he was wheelchair-bound and blind, Ray Robinson carried on living a normal life in any way he could.

“My father had a lot of passion for life and he didn’t see himself as disabled.  He got on with it and woke up every morning with a smile on his face ready for the next challenge. He would swim 25 lengths of a pool twice a week, as well as coming to watch matches. The fact that my father lived life to the full has had a massive part to play in the way I am.”

Robinson senior used to go to support his son playing for England in the 80s, and via the help of a friend who commentated beside him, still managed to pass on advice to Andy on the pitch, disregarding the fact that he couldn’t see him.  It taught Robinson valuable lessons that he applies to all aspects of his life, not just coaching rugby.

“Right from the start, no matter what’s thrown at you, your life is to be enjoyed and this is something I try and instil with my family and it’s something that still burns inside me.

“If you work hard and train hard then you are going to get the benefits from it, but also a lot of things will be thrown in your way and change the direction of your life, so you need to learn to cope with that.”

Robinson also learned from an early age that it is important to take lessons from any given opportunity, and that a coach’s time was there for more than simply telling you what to do; a role he hopes he can emulate with his gallant young charges in Scotland’s capital.

“My father had an influence on me in rugby, but so did all the players and coaches that I ever worked with, right from school all the way through to international level. Every coach I have ever worked with, I have tried to get something out of.

“As a player and a coach, I have always been one to think about improvement and learning.  When I was a player it was all about getting better.  When a coach speaks I always think ‘what does it really mean?’  I wouldn’t always agree and would sometimes challenge the coach, and sometimes disregard the information, taking advice or not taking it because what works for one person might not work for another.”

Robinson has worked with many inspiring coaches in his career, and each has helped to shape him as the coach he is today, he says.  In the last twenty years he has bore witness to the wisdom of English stalwarts Jack Rowell, Roger Uttley and Geoff Cooke, Scotland’s own Ian McGeechan, first as a player with the Lions in 1989 (Australia) and then again as a coach on the ill-fated 2005 tour to New Zealand, and latterly with the triumvirate of Woodward, Larder and Alred, whom he worked alongside during England’s 2003 World Cup winning campaign.

But he still retains his own individuality as a coach, the new-hope for Edinburgh Rugby reminds us.

“I think you have to have your own values and you have to bring these to the table. I have a passion and desire for rugby at whatever level, whether it’s coaching children or coaching international players, and part of what I am about is inspiring people to be the best they can be.

“I also think the players should be earning the respect of each other in the way that they perform, and coaches should be earning the respect of the players and fellow coaches. I think everyone should be doing that.  It’s not about what we did yesterday; it’s about what we can do today and how we can improve.

Of course beyond passion, desire and respect, there is another trait which is more important than any other when it comes to winning.  Belief.  And Robinson has it in abundance.

“The other aspect for me comes from my mentality.  I have a large warrior spirit inside me and I think that’s carried me through. There have been a lot of barriers put in my way, in life and on the rugby pitch, one being my height and my size [at 5ft8in, Robinson was by a considerable distance considered too small for his position on the first class rugby circuit].  I felt like I have been able to break down barriers and search how to break down those barriers. There is always a different way of doing things and if something is put up in front of you, you have got to understand how you can break that down.  So I’ve always had that spirit inside me.”

There is a genuine feeling of a ‘new start’ at Murrayfield based Edinburgh, which stretches beyond Robinson’s ‘moving forward’ philosophy – back under Scottish Rugby’s umbrella – and with a new coach, captain and many young, but talented, committed players making an impact, there is reason to be optimistic for the future.

Robinson has already unearthed a burgeoning talent in David Blair, who displays the same steady hand as his big-brother Mike to run a controlled game from the centre of the park.  And with Nick De Luca and Simon Webster providing attacking flair outside them, and Phil Godman waiting in the wings to add further thrust should it be required, the coach is not short of backline sting.

Furthermore, up front they aren’t too shabby either.  With an all international front row, a cavalcade of monsters to choose from in the engine room, and a burly, hungry and potentially world class back-row of Rennie, Callam and Hogg, there is plenty of muscle to bolster the creative men outside.

So the talent is there.  But can Robinson translate that potential into established players capable of taking on the very best?  Recent close-run results against some premier sides, such as Munster and Toulouse suggest yes.  However, a mauling from the Leicester Tigers implies they are still a work in progress.  But then again it is still early days, as the coach reminds us.

“My role with Edinburgh will take me six months to really work out all the players, to find out what motivates them and makes them operate. And there are ways in being able to achieve that.  I think the key thing for me initially was to come in and watch, and from there it was to start talking about my principles and values. I believe in creating a winning side, and my main focus is about the technical aspects because I think being able to perform techniques under pressure is vital.”

Of course, with the England job being high on Robinson’s career CV, it is apparent that he is no stranger to pressure, or performing under it.  It would be disrespectful to suggest that the Edinburgh job is les pressurised – results are results when it boils down to the nitty gritty – but his experience at the very highest level should stand him in good stead with the young Scottish club.

Indeed, since he accepted the mantle, there is no doubt that the Edinburgh side are enjoying a mini-revolution.  And with Robinson on the throne orchestrating proceedings, there is reason to believe a new empire is being built at the Castle.

RO
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