Robinson drives Ford to sign Edinburgh deal

Scotland hooker Ross Ford has signed for Edinburgh and admitted the presence of new head coach Andy Robinson convinced him to move to Murrayfield.

He becomes former England boss Robinson’s first new recruit and will meet up with his new team-mates next week, after returning from holiday.

Ford, 23, opened his try-scoring account for Scotland in the World Cup clash with Portugal.

And the former Borders player said: “The prospect of working with Andy was a key factor in making me decide Edinburgh was the right place for me.

“He has got great knowledge of the modern game and his experience will be a great help to everybody in the squad.

“It is a new start for me. Edinburgh have got a really good squad, so I’m confident we can do something exceptional this season.”

Robinson could hand Ford his debut in the Magners League match at Connacht on October 26.

“I am really pleased to have an international class hooker joining the squad,” said Robinson.

“Ross is a very talented player with huge potential and I look forward to working with him.

“We are always looking to strengthen our playing staff and his arrival will provide good competition for the other hookers we have in our squad, Andrew Kelly and Steven Lawrie.”