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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If nothing else the 2010 Six Nations Championship will break new ground on the musical front. In their wisdom, the organisers have commissioned an official anthem, cunningly entitled Six Together, to give the tournament – ahem – a "new sonic identity". The idea is to combine a Welsh harp, Irish pipes, Scottish bagpipes, a French accordion, an Italian mandolin and an English cathedral choir on the same record, a concept which could easily broaden the definition of Eurotrash. Come back Max Boyce, Harry Lauder and Pavarotti, all is forgiven.

It is too late now but Bryan Ferry's version of Let's Stick Together, or Tom Jones's Delilah, would have been more appropriate. What is the Six Nations if not a collective, cross-border celebration of history, fraternity and late-night karaoke? If it has a traditional backing track it is the sound of raucous cheering drifting from the pubs of Rose Street and Baggot Street and gales of laughter on matchday trains. I remember staying in a guest house close to Lansdowne Road and discussing the afternoon's game with the landlady. Her son would be there, she said, although he did not have a ticket. "Just you wait and see," she said, winking. Sure enough, an hour prior to kick-off, an ambulance drew up outside the front door. Into the back jumped yer man, who promptly lay down on a stretcher and covered himself up with a blanket. Within seconds the ambulance had disappeared around the corner to be ushered straight into the ground. The Irish are truly a resourceful people, economic downturn or not.

Which is another good reason why Brian O'Driscoll's side may just be worth backing to collect a second title to add to the long-awaited triumph of 2009, their first grand slam since 1948. Hang around long enough for an ambulance and the chances of two arriving improve. To win consecutive Six Nations slams, however, is about more than mere good fortune or the law of averages. England have achieved the feat twice since the Great War, Wales have not managed it for a century and Scotland, Ireland and Italy are still waiting. Only France in 1997 and 1998 have cracked the code in the professional era and both of those successes were in the old Five Nations.

What people always forget is the tournament's X-factor: the ceaseless undertow of ancient rivalry. No one likes an uppity neighbour, as Wales discovered last season.

"There's more pressure on defending champions and we found that last year," said Warren Gatland, the Wales coach who used to be in charge of Ireland. "Everyone targets you as the game to win. I wouldn't normally have expected France to be doing a lap of honour in Paris, having beaten Wales. Ireland will go in as favourites but they've got two tough games in England and France and our meetings with them are really close. On the plus side, they've got two teams playing well in Europe at the moment, a lot of experience and a lot of confidence."

Ireland also have a coach, Declan Kidney, who knows more about the psychology behind sustained success than most. Under Kidney, Munster developed from perennial nearly-men into ruthless champions. If some of the players involved are long in the tooth – John Hayes is about to become the first man to play 50 Six Nations games – the mentality has been absorbed by the next generation. Talk to the likes of Rob Kearney and Jamie Heaslip and they will tell you, not cockily but matter‑of‑fact, that they expect to win every game. Winning is a habit and Ireland are disinclined to kick it, particularly with O'Driscoll at the helm. "We're owed nothing in this Six Nations" he said. "You don't retain anything, you give it back and then you try and win it again. We need to start from scratch. It will be the same attitude we've had for the past 10 years. You try and build into a competition, you don't win it in the first couple of weeks. That's how you lose it."


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The RBS 6 Nations is looming large on the horizon and the Irish Rugby Supporters Club is gearing up for all the action. We have just announced two great competitions to get whet your appetite and get you in an International mood!

This time next week the provincial jersyes will be folded away and the Ireland jerseys taken down of the hanger ready to be worn with pride by all Irish Rugby Supporters and none more so than the members of the Supporters Club!

With the announcement of the Ireland squad comes the anticipation of International action and thanks to the club thousands of members will be cheering Ireland on in Croke Park, Stade De France and Twickenham this year.

We have also launched two great competitions to bring you just that bit closer to the action - The Match Day Event for Ireland V Wales and our Mascot competition for Junior members.

The Match Day Event is one of our biggest days of the season bringing hundreds of members together in Croke Park to soak up the atmosphere, cheer on the team and then meet some of the players.

One lucky member - Fiona O'Shea was even present with a signed Ireland jersey by Sean and John, who also answered questions, signed autographs and posed for pictures in the aftermath of the fantastic win over South Africa.

Ireland will play Scotland in our last game of the RBS 6 Nations Championship and our last game in Croke Park and one lucky boy or girl has the chance to lead the team on the day.


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Northampton Saints winger Chris Ashton has celebrated his Six Nations call-up by signing a new two-year deal at Franklin's Gardens.

Ashton, 22, was named in Martin Johnson's England squad on Wednesday after scoring 15 tries in 16 league and cup matches this season.

Ashton told the club's website: "Saints have been a great club to be part of over the past couple of years.

"We're ambitious to be one of the top clubs in England and Europe."

He added: "It was a hard year last year as I came to terms with the Premiership, but the coaches stuck with me.

"I'm still learning and I believe I can improve a lot."

Ashton has proved a revelation in the 15-man game after making the switch from rugby league at the start of the 2007/08 season.

"Chris has worked very hard on his game, especially over the past 18 months," added Northampton director of rugby Jim Mallinder.

"After a fantastic season in National League One he had a quiet first year in the Guinness Premiership.

"But he spent a lot of time learning the game and honing the small details that didn't get found out at the lower level. He's starting to reap the benefits now.

"At 22 he's still a young player with plenty to offer and I'm delighted he's decided to stay and be a part of the Saints."

Ashton follows scrum-half Lee Dickson and new England colleague Ben Foden, who have also agreed new terms at Northampton in recent days.