Parks could take a leaf out of Hodgson's book

Paul Radley's take on Dan Parks' sudden recent retirement from international rugby union with Scotland.

You are a long time retired. "Charge-down" Charlie Hodgson might have pondered that statement two weeks ago, after his block in the Calcutta Cup ultimately led his opposite number, Dan Parks, to call time on his international career.

Parks caved in to the hounding he had received in cyberspace by announcing his retirement from Scotland duty one match into the Six Nations championship.

Hodgson knows what it is like to be on the end of abuse, too. The England fly-half is in his 11th year as an international player, but the past four of were spent almost entirely in exile, after one infamous blow-out in a match against New Zealand.

He could easily have decided international rugby is more trouble than it is worth following the criticism he suffered back then, which was mainly based on the fact he was not Jonny Wilkinson.

He may have been shoved brusquely to the back of the queue for the England No 10 shirt thereafter, but he persisted.

Hodgson's rewards for sticking with it have been substantial, with successive match-winning displays on his return to the national team this year. So sparkling has his rebirth been, he could keep Toby Flood, whose injury he was brought in to cover, out of the side for the meeting with Wales at Twickenham next weekend.

"Representing your country is the pinnacle of your career," Hodgson was quoted as saying this week. "Every moment in an England shirt is a very proud moment and one that I will savour."