Robinson could land Edinburgh job

Former England boss Andy Robinson has held talks with the Scottish Rugby Union and could be appointed as Edinburgh's new head coach before the weekend.

Robinson, 43, was in charge of England from October 2004 to November 2006 and spoke with SRU chief executive Gordon McKie in Edinburgh yesterday.

Edinburgh chief executive Nic Cartwright told PA Sport: "All we can confirm is that Gordon met with Andy with a view to chatting about possibilities how he might be able to assist Scottish Rugby, and that he was not talking to him about the Scotland job."

He added: "Due to ongoing interviews, I cannot comment on any particular individual. We hope to have the recruitment process sorted very soon."

Given Robinson was not being interviewed as a potential replacement for Frank Hadden, and that Sean Lineen appears secure in his post at Glasgow Warriors, the obvious conclusion is that the former flanker has jumped to the front of the queue of contenders to become Edinburgh's first full-time coach since the club returned into SRU hands.

Edinburgh's Magners League campaign begins on Saturday when they take on Leinster in Dublin.

SRU head of player development Henry Edwards was appointed as interim coach when former franchisee Bob Carruthers agreed to pass Edinburgh back into union hands last month, following a turbulent year for the club.

However Cartwright confirmed last week that a permanent coach could be installed "relatively soon", stressing: "This is an important part of the club's future that we need to get right."

As forwards coach, Robinson played a part in England winning the 2003 World Cup, and as a player he won eight international caps.

But during his tenure in charge of England, his team lost 13 of their 22 matches.