EDINBURGH Rugby coach Andy Robinson is relishing the prospect of building on the club's achievements last season and challenging for a place in the knock out phase of the Heineken Cup, writes COLIN RENTON.
Robinson is happy with the tough draw that has pitched the Capital outfit against Magners League champions Leinster, Guinness Premiership title holders London Wasps and French outfit Castres Olympique, who were fifth in the Top 14.
Robinson, who
is no stranger to success on the European stage, having coached Bath to the silverware a decade ago, said: "It is a strong Heineken Cup draw for Edinburgh and we are looking forward to the challenge ahead."
While he knows the English and Irish opponents well, Robinson knows less about the French outfit, admitting: "Having Castres in the pool will be new territory."
However, with former Castres man Gregor Townsend now on the Edinburgh coaching staff, advice is close at hand.
Castres are now coached by Townsend's former team mate, Jeremy Davidson who has linked up with his fellow Irishman Mark McCall and Englishman David Ellis.
Robinson will have an early opportunity to assess the challenge posed by Wasps when Ian McGeechan brings his star-laden outfit to Murrayfield for a pre-season friendly on August 23.
McGeechan's straight talking assistant Shaun Edwards insisted that his side will be taking nothing for granted against the Scots, saying: "There will be no easy games for us. We remember our defeat at Edinburgh in 2005."
Leinster are familiar foes, having been in Edinburgh's group last season. With one win apiece in the Magners League, and a similar outcome on Heineken Cup duty, two more tight contests look likely. Mick Dawson, the Leinster chief executive said: "There are four very competitive teams in the pool and we know how hard it is to win in Edinburgh."
Meanwhile, Edinburgh chairman Gavin Hastings has underlined the need to win away from home in order to progress in the competition. He believes that the players will benefit from recent successes on the road and should have no fears of the task ahead.
Hastings said: "The wins at the Ospreys and Scarlets late last season supplemented by Scotland's final result in Argentina will hopefully give the players the confidence to be able to win away from home.
"My feeling is that we have to go out there and win all our home games and hopefully get one or two away victories."
Heineken Cup draw: Pool One: Munster, Sale, Clermont Auvergne, Montauban. Pool Two: Wasps, Leinster, Castres, Edinburgh. Pool Three: Leicester, Perpignan, Ospreys, Treviso. Pool Four: Stade Francais, Llanelli, Ulster, Harlequins. Pool Five: Toulouse, Bath, Newport Gwent Dragons, Glasgow. Pool Six: Biarritz, Gloucester, Cardiff, Calvisano.
The full article contains 458 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
