Scotland fly-half Dan Parks has announced his retirement from international rugby with immediate effect.

Parks, 33, won 67 caps for Scotland in a career spanning eight years, with the Cardiff Blues star scoring 266 points and a Scottish record 17 drop-goals.

Parks admitted he had been thinking about hanging up his boots following the Rugby World Cup, where he was named man-of-the-match in the final pool game against England.

“I was thinking about it [retirement] but the first game of the Six Nations was against England and Ruaridh Jackson was injured and being able to play against England was huge for me as there was a sense of unfinished business,” said Parks.

“On reflection after the game, after talking it over with my family, girlfriend and close friends I’ve come to the decision that now is the right time to retire from the international game.

“There are some really talented guys coming through – Jackson, Greig Laidlaw and Duncan Weir – and although I’m sad to be finishing my international career I have some fantastic memories of playing for Scotland and what that has meant to me.”

Parks was the pivotal figure in Scotland’s successes in 2010, winning a host of man-of-the-match awards and steering the side to an historic Test series triumph in Argentina and memorable victories against Ireland and South Africa.

“I’ve no regrets at what has been an amazing career for me,” added Parks, who was named the Scotland Players’ Player of the World Cup in 2007. “I’ve got my favourite moments for Scotland – uppermost being the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

“That was my first World Cup, something that as a youngster you would always aspire to play in, and it was just such a happy, exciting, positive time. It was also where I met my girl-friend, Laetitia.

“Other memorable moments have been the two wins against England at home [2006 and 2008], the win against South Africa here at Murrayfield, the two wins in Argentina in 2010 and one in 2008 and the Ireland game in 2010 which was a great occasion.

“This is not the end of me as a rugby player. My international career is over but I want to keep playing club rugby. I always enjoyed my time in Glasgow. It’s one of great cities I’ve visited, so who knows what will happen in the future.”

Meanwhile, Scotland head coach Andy Robinson hailed Parks’ determination to break into his squad after the initial disappointment of being omitted when the 47-year-old first took charge in 2009.

“I have really enjoyed working with Dan,” said Robinson. “He wasn’t in my first Scotland squads but through his own determination, hard work, skill and competitive spirit he forced his way back into selection.

“It’s never an easy decision to make but I feel Dan has made the right decision and thank him for his contribution over the years.”

The Scotland team to play Wales in Cardiff on Sunday will be announced on Wednesday.

Davies was sin-binned for the tip tackle and the Cardiff Blues star has been cited by Italian citing commissioner Achille Reali, meaning he will face an independent championship disciplinary committee in London on Wednesday.

“I think there’s intent and if you look at that and ask me, there’s definitely an intent in there,” said the Wales head coach.

“So I wouldn’t argue with the decision of that being given a red card.”

Gatland criticised Davies for the incident and urged the 25-year-old forward, who was also sin-binned in Wales’ 2011 Six Nations win in Scotland, to be more disciplined in the future.

“It’s not local club rugby, where you get away with those things,” said Gatland. “We’ve got the very best referees in the world. You’ve got to keep your head.

“You can’t get caught up in the moment and have ill discipline, because that does cost you.

“Our staff in the box who had a look at it thought it should have been a red card. It should have been a red card.”

Ireland’s Stephen Ferris, who received a yellow card for his tackle on Ian Evans, was also cited by Reali and will face the disciplinary committee in midweek.

England skipper Robshaw steps into the breach

After the World Cup debacle, England needed a right old clear-out, and Stuart Lancaster obliged with a new-look squad. With Tom Wood out of the first two games, Harlequins skipper Chris Robshaw is the temporary captain of the new-look England. Despite a poor pass to Chris Ashton betraying some early nerves, Robshaw recovered to deliver a solid performance. Many feared that England’s new young charges would buckle under the pressure of a hostile Murrayfield. But if Robshaw’s handbags with Chris Cusiter, which left the England captain with a well-ripped shirt, is anything to go by, then this England team look up for the fight.

Discipline works for England

After the first 20 minutes of the match, in which England were pretty much camped in the Scotland half, the hosts reversed the trend and spent the rest of the game piling on the pressure in English territory. Scotland might have themselves to blame for a host of mistakes at crucial moments, but praise should rightly go to England’s defence. If this was the same England team that played so stodgily at the World Cup, then Scotland could have expected them to concede a rash of ill-disciplined penalties. Instead they barely gave Dan Parks a whiff of the posts, keeping the points from ticking over and providing the defensive platform for victory.

Scotland must trust the kids

In a performance riddled with individual errors and a serious lack of cutting edge, there were few positives for Scotland. Parks had a nightmare at fly-half, while Ross Rennie fluffed a glorious chance to get Scotland back in the game. But the Tartan Army should be buoyed by the emergence of two young bucks. Richie Gray continued to assert himself as a monstrous second row prospect, while the excellent David Denton, who turned 22 yesterday, carried ball with great power and aggression. It’s the young blood that coach Andy Robinson should be encouraging if Scotland are to break their cycle of mediocrity.

Ireland can take positives from defeat

With Leinster, Munster and Ulster all competing for a place in the Heineken Cup semi-finals, much of the Ireland squad were supposedly in form heading into their opener against Wales. Declan Kidney’s side failed to withstand a late Welsh charge, losing 23-21 but the Irish head coach still has reason to be positive moving forward. Full-back Rob Kearney impressed – the 25-year-old looked assured as Ireland’s last line of defence and his presence spread confidence throughout the Irish side. At one point, the Leinster star sailed through the sky to collect a kick, prompting roars of approval from the Aviva Stadium crowd. The Irish line-out also enjoyed great success, with Paul O’Connell’s reading of the visitor’s line-out truly superb.

Wales convert dominance into victory

Wales were the underdogs ahead of their opening Six Nations clash in Dublin – but the visitors comfortably dominated the possession stakes and Warren Gatland’s side spent over two-thirds of the game camped in the Irish half. With Bradley Davies sin-binned in the 65th minute, Tommy Bowe’s try to extend Ireland’s lead to 21-15 appeared to be the decisive score. But after George North’s try narrowed the gap, the away side showed remarkable patience and grit to slowly edge their way closer to the Irish 22, eventually forcing Stephen Ferris into an error and allowing Leigh Halfpenny to kick the winning penalty and inject Gatland’s side full of confidence.

Mobile phone company O2 has signed a fresh four-year deal to extend its sponsorship of the English Rugby Football Union (RFU).

O2 have sponsored the RFU since 1995 and the new partnership will run beyond the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

The move is a vote of confidence in England Rugby by the mobile firm following a difficult few months for the national team in the wake of a disappointing World Cup campaign.

“We are delighted to be extending our partnership with O2,” said RFU chief commercial officer Sophie Goldschmidt. “They have been a long term supporter of rugby at both the grassroots and elite level.

“O2’s commitment to further develop our partnership and deliver even richer and more engaging rugby experiences to fans and players is fantastic. This is aligned with the RFU’s goals to further grow the game in innovative ways.”

The new partnership maintains O2’s presence on senior England, Saxons and women’s team kits – and will also see O2 continue as the exclusive telecommunications provider to the RFU.

“We’ve been a proud sponsor of England Rugby for over 16 years and together with the RFU we are committed to building upon our achievements and creating great experiences for customers and fans,” said O2 chief executive Ronan Dunne.

“Working together with the RFU we will continue to look at how we can use technology to extend the rugby experience beginning with expanding Priority for rugby fans on O2.”

Leigh Halfpenny, who had taken over kicking duties from Rhys Priestland, scored a last-gasp penalty after Ireland’s Stephen Ferris was penalised 30 metres out from the Irish posts.

It capped a rousing Welsh comeback after they had trailed 21-15 before George North crossed for a crucial try and Halfpenny completed the visitors’ revival in the 79th minute.

“It is extremely disappointing. We had a lead early in the second half but we did not build on it,” said Ireland coach Kidney.

“When we do press ahead we have to go for the jugular. We are going to have to look at being more ruthless.”

Despite Jonathan Sexton’s fourth-minute penalty, it was Wales who started the brighter – and when Ryan Jones was bundled over the line, the away side thought they had their opening try – but replays proved inconclusive and Ireland’s slender lead remained intact.

Jonathan Davies then deservedly scored Wales’ first try in the 14th minute after great work from Mike Phillips down the right saw the visitors capitalise on their numerical advantage and register their first points.

Priestland missed the conversion and it set the tone for the Scarlets fly-half’s afternoon as he missed a penalty shortly after.

And Ireland punished Wales’ wasteful play when Rory Best scored the home side’s opening try, which Sexton duly converted to give Kidney’s side a 10-5 lead at half-time.

Two minutes after the break, Sexton extended Ireland’s advantage by another three points to put the Irish in charge, but Wales soaked up the pressure and struck back as North released Davies for his second try of the afternoon.

But the drama was far from over as Sexton hit back with another penalty before a superb pass from the impressive Rob Kearney allowed Tommy Bowe to touch down and put Ireland 21-15 ahead with 13 minutes remaining.

Wales, who beat Ireland in the World Cup quarter-finals back in October, responded as Ian Evans burst past three tackles to tee up North, who crossed the line unchallenged.

Halfpenny then completed a simple conversion – and Wales sealed the win after Ferris’ sloppy error allowed Halfpenny to kick a late penalty.

“We’ve got a massive game against Scotland next Sunday,” said Wales coach Gatland. “We’re dangerous when we’re playing with confidence and we have a few players to come back from injury. Gethin Jenkins, I think, will be available and Alun Wyn Jones isn’t too far away.”

A pair of penalties by debutant Owen Farrell and a try by Charlie Hodgson sealed their triumph in the Calcutta Cup as the new-look side survived a second-half onslaught to pick up their first win at Murrayfield since February 2004.

Despite being on the front foot, the Scots proved to be their own worst enemy in attacking areas as they failed to make the most of their chances – but interim head coach Lancaster was delighted with the spirit shown by his side.

“It was just a fantastic effort, I’m really chuffed for the boys,” he said. “They were the ones who were putting the effort in. Teams are built on spirit and courage and they showed a tremendous amount of that to play for each other and for the shirt.

“There are lots of things we can improve on but fundamentally it comes down to attitude and working hard for each other. It’s all about getting the first win and we need to back it up now.”

The Red Roses fielded three debutants in the 130th meeting between the two sides, with Phil Dowson and Brad Barritt joining Farrell in making their international bow.

Another five uncapped players helped to make up the bench for the visitors, with the hosts having a more experienced look to their starting line-up, with 501 international caps between them.

It proved to be a tentative opening to the game with a number of sloppy mistakes being made by both teams.

The first chance came in the 13th minute after the visitors were awarded a penalty for David Denton’s indiscretion, but Farrell’s kick went wide.

Farrell, the son of current coach Andy, made no mistakes with his next opportunity 10 minutes later as the Saracens centre converted the penalty to give them the lead.

That score seemed to breathe some life into the game and soon after, Dan Parks levelled things up.

Despite their domination of territory in the first half, England failed to convert that into attacking openings and they fell behind in the 33rd minute, as experienced campaigner Parks doubled his penalty tally.

Lancaster’s team made the perfect start to the second period as they re-took the lead just 29 seconds in.

Hodgson’s chasing work led to him blocking an attempted up-field kick by opposite number Parks, and the Saracens man managed to touch the ball down for a try, with the extras easily added.

The home side had a lucky escape on 52 minutes when Hodgson’s cross-field kick found David Strettle, but David Denton denied him with a crucial tackle, before the Sarries wing was penalised for holding on.

Robinson’s side continued to press but a lack of composure in attacking play was costing them dear.

In the 61st minute, substitute Greig Laidlaw showed good chip-and-chase work but appeals for a score were turned down after a long perusal by the television match official.

They were presented with an even better opening moments later as Ross Rennie found some space in the defence, but his final pass was vitally intercepted by Ben Foden.

With just seven minutes left on the clock, Farrell showed nerves of steel to put another penalty through the posts, as England made the best possible start to their Six Nations campaign, with Scotland coach Andy Robinson left to rue missed opportunities.

“We’ll keep practising,” he said. “We created some great opportunities and it’s just that last pass. The game is about inches, small margins and you have to be able to execute under pressure.”

As expected, Saracens pairing Brad Barritt and Owen Farrell will line up in the centres, however with their regular roles reversed – Barritt at outside and Farrell wearing No 12.

The other fresh face comes in the back row, with Northampton Saints’ Phil Dowson pipping Scarlets rookie Ben Morgan to the No8 jersey.

Charlie Hodgson and David Strettle return for their first starts since a clash with New Zealand back in 2008, while Mouriz Botha and new skipper Chris Robshaw will win just their second caps.

One man who knows what it takes to captain the England team is Bath Rugby’s Lewis Moody, who has just retired from the international scene.

“It’s something Chris Robshaw is going to relish,” said Moody. “He has done it for many years for his club and I think he has been playing some fantastic rugby over the last couple of seasons. He just needs to take the confidence and ability he has and lead by example. He’ll have a great day, I hope”

Scotland also have a couple of new faces in their team in the shape of Lee Jones on the wing and David Denton in the back-row.

“I think with it being the first game of the Six Nations there’s almost more anticipation -there is an extra bit of excitement and both teams are making new starts after the world cup, maybe England even more so. So there is a bit of the unknown going into it as well.”

Stuart Lancaster is clearly initiating change within the England camp with three debutants, a vastly younger squad and only six survivors from the World Cup quarter-final defeat by France.

Given the dark cloud that had descended on English rugby over the World Cup, interim head coach Lancaster’s changes are timely.

The World Cup shambles was derided throughout rugby, not least from Scotland coach Andy Robinson, himself the former England manager, who spoke of England’s arrogance.

If Saturday’s Calcutta Cup match needed any further spice added to the occasion, Robinson’s comments did it.

Some of Lancaster’s changes in the England camp are forced.

Were it not for Manu Tuilagi’s injury, either Brad Barritt or Owen Farrell would be making their debut rather than both.

An injury to Toby Flood gives Charlie Hodgson a chance to re-write the wrongs of his international past, while Courtney Lawes’ injury has handed South African-born Mouritz Botha a chance for his second cap.

But this is not an experimental side.

Though 30-year-old Phil Dowson might be making his entry into test rugby later than most, the Northampton back row can feel he has more than justified selection over the past few years.

He will form a brand new back row alongside Tom Croft and new skipper Chris Robshaw, himself only making his second England appearance.

The lack of a true ball-fetching open-side may hinder England, but with Robshaw and Croft they will hope to mix power and graft to good effect.

They will be packing down behind Botha and Tom Palmer, themselves forming an athletic second row. With a grizzly front row of Alex Corbisiero, Dylan Hartley and Dan Cole, England will aim to keep up with undoubtedly Scotland’s most potent weapon: their forwards.

Behind the pack lies a quartet of Saracens players. The much-maligned Hodgson is perhaps the most gifted attacking fly-half in the northern hemisphere while winger David Strettle offers a weaving counter-balance to Chris Ashton’s sheer pace.

Centre Barritt boasts boundless energy and he will run and tackle hard for the England cause.

But the real diamond among these players is Owen Farrell – who stands at inside centre, sandwiched between Hodgson and Barritt. The 20-year-old has a calmness and maturity beyond his tender years, and his kicking game, mixing deft grubbers with excellent touch-finders, will keep Scotland on the back foot.

While Andy Farrell’s sojourn in Rugby Union was disappointing, such is the way Farrell junior has acquired so many of his traits it seems as though the former Rugby League Man of Steel’s impact may well be long lasting.

Scrum-half Ben Youngs, Ashton and full-back Ben Foden represent the mainstays of the back division, but are acutely aware that Lee Dickson, Jordan Turner-Hall and Mike Brown all eagerly await their chance.

Bookmakers across the board make England favourites for the Calcutta Cup clash, though you’d have to go back to 2004 to find England’s last victory at Murrayfield.

Lancaster will no doubt make his team well aware of this, conscious of Robinson’s criticism resonating throughout the camp.

Indeed if England can play with Lancaster’s steely determination and work ethic they will go some way to restoring their pride.

The Wales squad have paid tribute to the Premiership clubs which helped kick-start their careers ahead of their Six Nations opener against Ireland on Sunday.

Head coach Warren Gatland’s 37-man squad posed for a photograph each wearing the club kit they wore at the start of their rugby careers ahead of the trip to Dublin.

Every member of Gatland’s squad, which has just returned from a pre-tournament training camp in Poland, has featured in Wales’ top club rugby competition for at least one club and each of the players were asked to nominate the side they felt most synonymous with.

Llanelli RFC boasted the biggest representation in the current squad, with the potential to almost field an entire backline of internationals, with a total of 10 players, including four uncapped.

The next highest representation is from Wales’ capital club, Cardiff, with five internationals, plus the uncapped winger Harry Robinson.

Meanwhile, Neath have provided five players in the current squad and Aberavon, Bridgend, Glamorgan Wanderers, Pontypridd and Swansea have all sent two players each from grass roots to international stardom – with the Wanderers providing squad captain Sam Warburton.

Elsewhere, single but vital contributions came from Cross Keys, Ebbw Vale, Llandovery and Newport.

“Welsh rugby must never forget its roots,” said WRU group chief executive Roger Lewis.

“Our premiership clubs are the foundation stones upon which the international game is built. This picture is a wonderful way of expressing how important the Principality Premiership is to Welsh rugby.

“The fact every member of the current squad has worked their way up through the pathway structure we have in place to develop players is something we should all be proud of.

“All the boys are extremely proud of their rugby heritage and they were very enthusiastic about taking part in this photograph.”

Wales’ Six Nations squad pictured representing the following clubs:

Justin Tipuric and Ashley Beck (Aberavon); Ryan Bevington, Ryan Jones and Rhys Webb (Bridgend); Alex Cutherbert, Bradley Davies, Rhys Gill, Leigh Halfpenny, Jamie Roberts and Harry Robinson (Cardiff); Ken Owens (Carmarthen Quins); Toby Faletau (Cross Keys); Dan Lydiate (Ebbw Vale); Sam Warburton and Lloyd Williams (Glamorgan Warriors); George North (Llandovery); Lee Bryne, Jonathan Davies, Rhodri Jones, Stephen Jones, Mike Phillips, Rhys Priestland, Lou Reed, Aaron Shingler, Liam Williams and Scott Williams (Llanelli); Ian Evans, James Hook, Paul James, Adam Jones and Craig Mitchell (Neath); Andy Powell (Newport); Gethin Jenkins and Matthew Rees (Pontypridd); Huw Bennett and Gavin Henson (Swansea).

Phil Dowson is one of three uncapped players in England’s starting team to face Scotland in their Six Nations opener at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Northampton Saints’ 30-year-old Dowson will make his debut at No8, while Saracens Brad Barritt and Owen Farrell will form a new centre pairing at international level.

Captain Chris Robshaw is set to start at the back alongside Tom Croft – and Dave Strettle and Charlie Hodgson remain in the side with Chris Ashton on the wing.

“We have been impressed with how the whole group has come together in the last 10 days and we have done a lot of work on and off the field,” said interim head coach Stuart Lancaster.

“Now is the time to turn all that into a performance against Scotland that we can all be proud of. It is a massive challenge – Murrayfield, the first game of the Six Nations – but one we are relishing.”

On the inclusion of Downson, Lancaster added: “Phil just has that match experience at club level which we think will transfer to the international arena.”

London Wasps’ Rob Webber is one of five other uncapped players are on the replacements’ bench for Saturday’s clash, alongside Geoff Parling, Ben Morgan, Lee Dickson and Jordan Turner-Hall.

Looking ahead to the trip to Scotland, Lancaster added: “It’s a great stadium to play at and it will be a fantastic occasion. We’ve not been there since 2004 and we recognise that it’s going to be a huge challenge.”

England side to face Scotland

Ben Foden; Chris Ashton; Brad Barritt, Owen Farrell, David Strettle; Charlie Hodgson; Ben Youngs; Alex Corbisiero, Dylan Hartley, Dan Cole; Mouritz Botha, Tom Palmer; Tom Croft, Chris Robshaw (captain), Phil Dowson.

Replacements: Rob Webber, Matt Stevens, Geoff Parling, Ben Morgan, Lee Dickson, Jordan Turner-Hall, Mike Brown.