Self awareness is what powers Parks as road to New Zealand becomes clear

WORLD Cup memories remain clear in Dan Parks’ head but the stand-off believes reaching the 2011 tournament in New Zealand would be even more of an achievement than being voted Scotland’s top player, as it would reveal a strength in him to bounce back to the very top.

Parks has lived with being written off on many occasions, not least when, less than two years after being named Scotland player of the tournament at the 2007 World Cup by his teammates, he was cast into the wilderness by Andy Robinson in his first act in taking over as national coach.

Parks endured a trying 2009, but came back with some style in the 2010 RBS Six Nations Championship and has held on over the past year. He has lost the No 10 jersey to Ruaridh Jackson and, while the Glasgow playmaker is more like the kind of player Robinson who wants to direct his side, he is still learning the game at international level.

So, Parks remains a valuable mentor, and nowhere more so than in the World Cup.

“My experiences from the World Cup are my most cherished memories in a Scotland jersey,” Parks said yesterday, after being named to start in the final warm-up Test against Italy at Murrayfield on Saturday.

“For me, the whole idea of the World Cup was that it was a celebration of rugby. Everyone got behind it and it was a great occasion for me. I really enjoyed it and the positivity got me going. I enjoyed playing in all the games and I obviously did well.

“We made the quarter-finals and we were quite close to beating Argentina. It would have been nice but we just fell short. For me, it was a very positive time and I’d like the opportunity to go to this one and, hopefully, do well.

“Ruaridh has done very well since taking the starting jersey in the Ireland game in the Six Nations but I’ve got a chance this week and, hopefully, I can do well.”

Parks draws a parallel between his 2007 and 2010 championship form, one explained largely by his fitness. On both occasions, he had enjoyed a full pre-season and there is little doubt that that helped to lift his confidence.

Like many stand-offs, Parks performs far better with confidence than without. It is trite to use the term “confidence player”, as few players are the same without the stuff but, already a world-class tactical kicker, Parks is more able to move the ball and attack the line – the way a Scotland stand-off must in order to give the back line the chance to find holes in opposition defences, when on top of his game than when feeling the pressure.

Therefore, it is encouraging to hear Parks state: “We’ve had a very similar pre-season this time to what we had back then, which was pretty much two months of hard work, with a lot of running and a lot of weights.

“It doesn’t just get you ready for the tournament, it gets you ready for the rest of the season, and, in a lot of years, we don’t get much of a chance to get a pre-season.

“Last year we had the Argentina tour but I was only back for three and a half weeks before I was into a trial with Cardiff. That’s not much of a pre-season, and I think it can have an effect on you later in the season.

“My best season was the one before last and I think that was down to a really good pre-season. I felt fit and I think that was the key to my performances during that year. My fitness was at a level before I started the season and I was able to maintain that. It has been a big objective of mine to get fit.

“You’re always trying to impress the coaches in every training session and, hopefully, I’ve done that.”