If there was any doubt that the fates have a sense of humour, just look at Andy Robinson. A year ago, he was unwanted and blamed for England’s failures. Now, he is appreciated and respected and taking a large slice of the credit for the revival of club fortunes in Scotland. And he is loving every minute of it.
The next stage will see him restored to international rugby, albeit it at second-team level, and the enthusiasm rings out as he chats about the demands of adding the Scotland A team to the work he is already doing with Edinburgh.
It’s fair to say that while most people in Scotland were prepared to wait and see what sort of job Robinson would do when he took over Edinburgh in October, his arrival was not the source of celebration. Being England coach is not a fast way to make friends in Scotland and he arrived with people uncertain how much the problems that cost him his England job were of his own making and how much they were a result of being asked to do the impossible.
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A little more than four months down the line, with Edinburgh near the top of the Magners League and Leicester and Leinster having lost at Murrayfield, he is winning the battle and, if things keep going the way they are, will become the folk hero in Scotland that he never was in his native land.
Part of it is attitude. Robinson does not accept the gallant loser tag that has bedevilled Scottish sport for years, and the message is getting through to his players, while he is encouraged by the lack of dominating egos and the willingness of players to learn. “When you are coaching and coming up with new ideas, it is important that you see them being used on the pitch,” he said. “When we talk about doing things, the players actually go out and try them. There is a tremendous feeling that we are all on the same page.”
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He sees that same enthusiasm being carried through to Scotland and though he believes this is the most open and competitive RBS Six Nations Championship for years he expects his Edinburgh players to be key men in deciding how it goes. “There is real potential for Scotland,” he said. “It is harder to predict any match but we will find out how the guys perform under pressure. Every game is tough and a lot will go down to the wire.
“There was a backward step during the World Cup with teams going to the kicking game. You hope that all the teams in this Six Nations believe they can use the ball in hand and express themselves.”
He is happy playing a part in that from the sidelines. He has prepared the Edinburgh players as well as he can to step up to the higher level and is planning for the weeks in late February and early March when he joins Sean Lineen, the Glasgow coach, to take charge of Scotland A. It will be tough since they get the players for only five days before the matches but Robinson pointed out: “Obviously I am used to that.” He did not get much more time with his England squad, except during tours or in the 2003 World Cup as assistant to Clive Woodward.
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“Obviously I understand what international rugby is about and the pressures it brings,” he said. “This is important, it is Scotland’s second string and we should use it as a springboard to the national side. This is where players prove they are good enough to make the step up to the full international team.”
Maybe it is a bit early to start measuring him up for his kilt, but there is no doubt that England’s loss has been Scotland’s gain and the fans know it.