Rugby will benefit from seeing Gavin Henson back playing regular rugby, according to Lions and England legend Mike Burton.

Former prop Burton, one of union’s top agents but who doesn’t represent Henson, believes the controversial Wales international making his comeback after 21 months out for the Barbarians against South Africa on December 4 alongside some of the world’s top players is just what’s needed for the centre.

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Australia skipper Rocky Elsom and team-mate Matt Giteau, plus Wales star Mike Phillips and New Zealand lock Chris Jack, have already been signed up for the Twickenham encounter.

We can reveal Australia scrum-half Will Genia and winger Drew Mitchell will also be in the Baa-Baa’s squad, along with a raft of All Blacks aces, which could include Dan Carter and Richie McCaw.

Henson is down to play but would be knocked out if he has an extended run on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing programme, which he is currently taking part in.

The 31-times capped Henson has not played since March 2009 after suffering a succession of injuries and opting to go on indefinite unpaid leave from the Ospreys.

But, with their permission, the 28-year-old accepted the invitation from the Barbarians to take on World Cup holders South Africa at English rugby’s headquarters.

Burton revealed Henson was eager to accept the chance to appear and speculated it could lead to him returning to the Ospreys’ fold – if the player’s fears of dressing room unrest can be overcome.

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Rugby coach Rob Moffat has warned his team not to become pre-occupied with containing Cardiff's newly signed Scotland standoff Dan Parks when the teams meet in the Welsh capital on Saturday.

Serial Six Nations man-of-the-match winner Parks looms large over Edinburgh's attempt to post a remarkable fourth successive Magners League win at Cardiff but Moffat insists it is important not to target an individual so as to leave gaps for others.

"We're not the sort of team that puts too much emphasis on one player but it is important we know what Dan Parks can do," he said.

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Paterson has played just 80 minutes of rugby since suffering that setback – 40 minutes in each of Edinburgh's recent warm-up matches against Bath and London Irish. However, Moffat said he had no doubts whatsoever about the fitness of the 32-year-old full-back whose career had been relatively free of injuries until this year.

"He's a master at putting teams under pressure and what we have to do is put him under pressure.

"It is, after all, his first game for a new club and it comes against another Scottish team. "Having said that I have a lot of respect for the way he has developed his game in the past year."

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As nice as it can sometimes be to meet up with familiar faces at the start of a new term, Edinburgh's players might struggle to summon much enthusiasm for a reunion with Dan Parks as they look ahead to their match against Cardiff on Saturday.

Parks, the Scotland fly-half who moved from Glasgow to Wales during the close season, is expected to start in the playmaker's role for his new club, a selection that will surely rekindle painful memories for a few of the Scottish players as they set out on another Magners League campaign.

It was Parks, after all, who did much to derail Edinburgh's title aspirations last season. Over the course of the festive-season Scottish derbies, he delivered two masterclasses in game control, performances that brought comfortable wins for Glasgow and which also moved him back into contention for the Scotland fly-half shirt in which he subsequently delivered an outstanding series of Six Nations displays.

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Yet according to Edinburgh Coach Rob Moffat, inside knowledge works both ways, and what Parks knows about his players may be outweighed by what they know about him.

"The players here know Dan Parks really well," said Moffat firmly after naming his side for the match at the Cardiff City Stadium.

"They know the strengths of his game and the relative weaknesses he may have. It probably helps you more than it hinders you.

"We fully respect Dan for what he can do and what he's done against us in the past. His game has moved on and developed in the past year, he's played well at international level, and we know how well he can dominate a game."

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Even if Parks does not start, there will certainly be one world class goalkicker on the pitch as Chris Paterson makes his return to competitive action in the city where his season came to an abrupt halt six months ago when he sustained a serious kidney injury in Scotland's loss to Wales at the Millennium Stadium, the match in which he won his 100th international cap.

Paterson has played just 80 minutes of rugby since suffering that setback – 40 minutes in each of Edinburgh's recent warm-up matches against Bath and London Irish. However, Moffat said he had no doubts whatsoever about the fitness of the 32-year-old full-back whose career had been relatively free of injuries until this year.

A year ago, Jones was readying himself for another season at Selkirk, but his form over the season brought the offer of a contract with Edinburgh and his performances against Bath and London Irish – he scored two tries against the latter – have now been rewarded with a place in the starting line-up on Saturday.

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