Scotland have gone for a skills grab in Ireland for their new forwards and defence coaches, four months after dumping the last pair who held the positions. Mike Brewer, the former All Blacks captain who has been coaching at Leinster for three years, takes charge of the pack and Graham Steadman will run the defence.

Brewer has had his controversies with Scotland before, playing a key role in New Zealand's second Test win over Scotland in 1990, tackling Gavin Hastings from a blatantly offside position but still winning the penalty that Grant Fox kicked to allow the All Blacks back into the match that they had looked like losing. Now Brewer's sights are set on helping Scotland to try to produce the same level of performance from the forwards that drove Leinster to the Magners League title last season.

“I'm delighted with the quality of the additional staff we have appointed,” Frank Hadden, the Scotland coach, said. “ Brewer is a very experienced coach in club rugby and anyone who knows rugby will have been impressed by the progress Leinster have made up front during his three years in that role.” Steadman spent 21 years coming through the rugby league ranks as player and coach before switching to union and joining Munster in 2003, where he remained for two years before becoming part of the Irish international coaching team under Eddie O'Sullivan. Now he will divide his time between Edinburgh and the national side.

“I have been an admirer of Scotland and the work that [Alan] Tait has undertaken in the last few seasons,” he said. “I look forward to being part of Frank's coaching team and to getting the players trust and buy in to the defensive systems I'll look to put in place. The experience I've gleaned from involvement in both union and league will hold me in good stead.

“I'll also look forward to working alongside Andy Robinson and the coaching team with Edinburgh, it gives me a great opportunity to work with those players and also monitor the performances of Scottish qualified players in the Magners League and Heineken Cup.”

It was last April that the SRU review concluded that a coaching shake-up was needed. Since then, George Graham has left as forwards coach to take charge of Petrarca in Italy, Alan Tait, who had been running the defence, went on the summer tour to Argentina but then moved to Newcastle and Mark Bitcon, the fitness specialist, has moved to Gloucester.

Edinburgh have signed a sponsorship deal with Sitec, a engineering services company.