Ed will do it his way, says proud dad Robinson
England coach believes his son will thrive on the challenge of joining Eddie Jones’ staff for the Six Nations
‘He has an inquiring mind, which helped him as a player but even more as a coach’
It has been –10C in Bucharest this week, which partly explains why the Romanian national drink is Palinca, a 60 per cent plum brandy that will burn your insides like a flame-thrower.
Andy Robinson, the Romania head coach, has had no need to reach for the Eastern European hard stuff, being kept warm instead by the appointment of his son, Ed, to Eddie Jones’s England coaching team for the Guinness Six Nations.
The sense of pride that Robinson has in his son’s accomplishments comes through clearly in a phone call from Romania’s training base; from finishing his playing career at 19, after a wretched run of concussions, to becoming an international coach – albeit a temporary one – just eight years later.
At the same time, Robinson is not surprised by Ed’s progress. “We never thought the concussions he had would have this effect on him,” the former England head coach tells The Daily Telegraph. “We thought he would recover, but he never did. That did not stop him. He just funnelled his energy into a different direction. Ed has an inquiring mind, which helped him as a player, but even more as a coach.”
Robinson speaks with Ed at least once a week and rugby is the only topic. That, though, is true of his other sons, Olly – a flanker for Cardiff Blues – and Henry, as well as his daughter, Charlotte. “We all enjoy discussing rugby and how you can improve,” Robinson says. “We are always bouncing ideas off each other. It is not just rugby, it can be other sports or our own fitness, but the central point is how do you improve? How do you get better?”
As well as being a sounding board for his ideas, Robinson helped to organise Ed’s first steps on to the coaching ladder, first through some work experience as an analyst when Robinson was Scotland head coach and then at Clifton Rugby Club. However, he is adamant that Ed has made his own way as a coach at Rotherham, and now Jersey Reds.
Most importantly, the connection he struck with Jones was made on his own terms, when the England head coach made an after-dinner speech at Jersey Rugby Club. “It shows the importance of how you build relationships with people,” Robinson says. “Credit to Eddie Jones, because he has done this off his own bat. The conversations he has had with Ed over the past year have been really valuable. What I have enjoyed is that I have played no part in the development of their relationship.”
The next step in that relationship will be when Ed fills the shoes of Jason Ryles as skills coach. Ryles had a pedigree as a player and coach in rugby league that commanded respect; as a 27-year-old with no experience of playing professionally, Ed will have to earn his spurs on the training paddock, although his father has no doubt he is ready.
“He will deal with the challenge,” Robinson says. “He will do it his own way. The thing for him is understanding what his role is and then doing that role. That’s the key aspect. You have to remember that rugby is a simple game. For him, it is about keeping it simple.”
Robinson’s love for the game burns just as bright as ever. After leaving Bristol in 2016, he started developing itchy feet. He told Bill Beaumont, the World Rugby chairman, that he was interested in coaching a tier-two team. A few months later, a meeting with Alin Petrache, the new president of the Romanian Rugby Federation, was arranged and a bond was formed.
“Romanians have a real passion for rugby,” Robinson says. “It taps into my own passion for the game. They have a really good understanding of the game and they work hard, which is what you want as a coach.”
During the 1980s, Romania were a serious force, defeating Wales and Scotland. Petrache’s vision is to return the Oaks to their previous standing, with the construction of an 8,500 all-seat stadium close to completion. Yet to reach those heights, Romania are stuck in the same tier-two trap of needing more competition.
“Look at Georgia in the Autumn Nations Cup,” Robinson says. “Once they got used to the pace and physicality of the game, they performed really well against Ireland. We all need that exposure. Like all countries, there’s an expectation for the country to win, which will get people supporting Romanian rugby. That’s the understanding for the players, that they have a great opportunity to get people interested in the game. If that happens, then I think the game could really take off.”
‘Credit to Eddie Jones, because he has done this off his own bat. I have played no part’