Having been forced to stand down as England head coach in November 2006 following a poor run of results, it is not inconceivable that Robinson - who will combine his new role with his Edinburgh commitments - may find himself pitted against the England A team at next summer's Churchill Cup. Should that happen, however, the 43-year-old insists that his loyalties will lie with Scotland.

"I'm there to prepare a side to win a game and that's what I'll do," said Robinson. "I'm a competitive person. I'm honored to be asked and I'm really looking forward to it. I see it as building upon what I'm doing with Edinburgh. It's important for Scotland to have a strong A team."

With only two matches scheduled in the next six months - Scotland A will take on their Italian and Irish counterparts in February - the role is not expected to impinge on Robinson's club duties.

Frank Hadden, the Scotland head coach, welcomed the appointment of the duo. "I'm delighted that two high-profile coaches are getting together," said Hadden. "The development of potential Scotland players is something we take extremely seriously. I cannot think of two more appropriate guys to lead the progress of this exceedingly important team."

Lineen, meanwhile, is confident that he and Robinson can combine to good effect: "We need to ensure we have strength in depth and I look forward to working closely with Andy to build that."

From : Buzzle.com