Andy Robinson has a tough decision to make
Dan Parks
Of all available options to Robinson, Parks has by far the most experience. However, his inclusion into the starting 15 would force the coaches hands to play a very particular style of rugby, playing for territory and relying on Parks kicking abilities from hand, a style synomonous with the Scots in recent years and one they seem to be trying to get away from.
There's no doubt he has improved in this area, but he still has games where it comes unstuck and so the performance of the team suffers severely due to it's setup around him.
His goal kicking is also much improved over the years, but he is not currently the first choice at Cardiff where Leigh Halfpenny has taken over the duties since Christmas.
I suspect that Robinson will favour Parks' style in what will likely be a war of attrition in the Calcutta Cup. His experience alone will probably sway the Scotland coach to start him at Murrayfield.
Greig Laidlaw
A versatile half back, Laidlaw has shone for Edinburgh this season in both pivot positions. His latest outing against London Irish in the Heineken Cup was such a convincing performance, it put him top of the pile for many.
Much more of a creative number 10 than Parks, he would be considered a risky choice for the England clash. In addition, he won't have the wide players like Tim Visser and Lee Jones to feed and kick to. A relative newcomer to the international scene, he may struggle to secure a berth come next Saturday.
Duncan Weir
The uncapped Weir has been in great form at Glasgow and is now considered an equal to Jackson in the Warrior setup rather than the understudy.
He has a huge boot on him, and has shown great composure at times this season in big games. His goal kicking is very good and only improving.
I see him being on the bench come the 4th as a stand in very much in the mould of his Glasgow colleague. Ruaridh Jackson has been seen as Andy Robinson's 'project' the last couple of seasons, so I see Weir's similar attributes currying favour with the coach. He also has the advantage of being familiar with Chris Cusiter at scrum half who I see as being the number one choice.
Phil Godman
The Edinburgh fly-half has seen a recent renaissance in form, particularly with his performance in Paris against Racing Metro in the Heineken Cup, knocking over a last minute drop goal to win his team what turned out to be a crucial extra couple of points to contribute towards a table topping campaign.
Godman has never been the most incisive fly-half, and much more the link man. He performs in that role but in a team that is striving to score more tries in games, I don't see his skill set being top of the priority list for Robinson. Some more consistency at club level may well see him feature later on in the tournament depending on results and potential injury.
Robinson will be pleased he has the back up for Jackson as his starting fly half recovers from his recurrent thigh problem. Neither option is the optimum, but as mentioned, I think he will start with Parks and introduce Weir late in the game against England. What an experience, an arena and fixture it would be for the young man on his debut.
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