Edinburgh were going through difficult times when Robinson, who himself had recently endured a torrid time as England coach, was appointed.

But the former Lions assistant coach enjoyed a successful first season in charge as his team secured their best finish in the Celtic League.

And after adding Chris Paterson and Jim Hamilton to his pool of players for the new season, former England flanker Robinson is relishing the start of the new campaign.

The countdown to the start of the new season includes pre-season friendly matches against McGeechan's Wasps at Murrayfield on August 23 and his former club Bath at the Recreation Ground six days later.

McGeechan, who won 32 caps for Scotland as a mercurial centre, is looking forward to his return trip to Murrayfield.

The new Lions coach said: "We were delighted to be able to confirm we will be playing Edinburgh as part of our pre-season schedule for next season.

“My old friend Andy Robinson has done an outstanding job with the Edinburgh team, making them very competitive again.

"It's important to have some good challenging games as part of pre-season preparations and I have no doubt Edinburgh will provide us with that, so I'm looking forward to catching up with Andy and everyone at Edinburgh."