Neil Back joins Edinburgh coaching staff It was an unlikely scenario when Andy Robinson pitched up at Murrayfield and did just that five years ago, but the improbable storyline is now set for a sequel following the appointment of the 66-times-capped World Cup winner Neil Back as the new forwards coach at Edinburgh. Back, who also made five Test appearances for the British and Irish Lions, succeeds Tom Smith, who has moved to French side Lyon. And as unexpected as his arrival may be, Back has a reputation for the kind of hard-nosed determination that has all too often been absent from Edinburgh's performances, especially in last season's RaboDirect PRO12 campaign. Back had a glittering career at Leicester before he became an assistant coach - while still playing - of the Welford Road side in 2003. Over the next five years, he helped Leicester into four Premiership finals, winning the title once and reaching the Heineken Cup final in 2007. He took over as head coach at Leeds Carnegie in 2008, but having guided them out of the Championship in his first season at the club, he was still at the helm when they were relegated last year, and he promptly reigned. For the past season, he has been in charge of Rugby Lions. "This role presents a fantastic challenge and I'm very grateful to get the opportunity at such a high-profile club," said Back. It's a very exciting time for Edinburgh Rugby with a great squad, exciting new players arriving and some really positive performances to build on from last season. Perhaps the greatest part of the challenge ahead of Back is to bring consistency to the club after a season in which their superb Heineken Cup performances - they reached the last four of the tournament for the first time ever - were offset by mediocre displays in the PRO12 competition. Back said: "My coaching philosophy is to be meticulous in everything we do. It's very much about the absolute fine detail needed to maximise your potential. All of this contributes to my love for the coaching and training environment. Back will work alongside defence specialist Billy McGinty in a coaching team headed by Michael Bradley. "Technically he is very strong and his coaching credentials stand out as someone who gets the best out of players," said Bradley. If our forwards can embrace that sort of focus and commitment, something I think they crave, then Edinburgh will go from strength to strength.