Andy Robinson, the former England head coach, has signed a three-year deal to be the new head coach of Edinburgh Rugby.

Robinson, who was in charge of Bath when they won the Heineken Cup, spent six years working with England, his most successful spell coming as deputy to Clive Woodward during the successful 2003 Rugby World Cup campaign. His tenure in charge of the national team from 2004-06, however, proved to be something of a disaster.

The Scottish Rugby Union took back ownership of the regional club last month, resulting in the departure of Lyn Howells, the former Wales assistant coach.

“My career in rugby has always thrived on challenge and I was instantly attracted to the challenge of taking Edinburgh Rugby forward to the next level,” Robinson, whose first game in charge will be against Ospreys on Friday, said. “I was fortunate enough to spend my formative years in rugby at Bath, one of the best club rugby sides in history, and I plan to apply what I learned there, and in my international career, to take Edinburgh to new heights.”

Gordon McKie, the chief executive of Scottish Rugby, said: “This is a major coup for Edinburgh and Scottish rugby in general Andy Robinson’s arrival is a clear sign of our very serious intent to build Edinburgh Rugby into a major force in professional rugby. He is without doubt a successful and proven coach and he is clearly driven to achieve results. He will significantly complement our professional coaching set-up in Scotland.”

Nic Cartwright, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Rugby, added: “Andy brings to Edinburgh a wealth of experience and contacts that we will benefit from whether it is motivating players, developing coaches or recruiting new talent.

“We were especially impressed by his understanding of what it takes to build a successful club side and I look forward to working with him over the years ahead to achieve our goals.”

The pair’s sentiments were echoed by Gavin Hastings, the Edinburgh chairman and former Scotland international. “In his 21 years in senior rugby, as both player and coach, Andy Robinson has delivered time and again,” Hastings said. “His appointment to the role of head coach at Edinburgh is a bold, imaginative move that underlines just how serious we are about taking this club forward.”