Glasgow Warriors fly-half Ruaridh Jackson admits he is relishing his latest run in the side as he bids to reclaim the Scotland No.10 jersey from Greig Laidlaw ahead of the RBS 6 Nations.
The second leg of the 1872 Cup against Edinburgh in the RaboDirect PRO12 marks a third consecutive start for Jackson, for only the second time this season.
The 24-year-old, who has 15 Scotland caps to his name, faces stiff competition at the Warriors with Duncan Weir and Scott Wight also pressing their claims for his position.
But Jackson has been working on the defensive side of his game with Glasgow and Scotland defence coach Matt Taylor and insists improving his ability in this department will be crucial to keeping his place.
“As a ten, you want to be in that rhythm that you get from having game time week-in, week-out,” Jackson told The Scotsman.
“But with the level of competition in the squad, especially with the three tens all playing well, it is tough for the coaches to get that balance right.
“Defence has been one of my targets for development and I’ve been working closely with Matt [Taylor] and feel it has been coming on.
“It is just a mindset. I have never really minded defence, but it is having the focus to make it a real attribute.
“I’ve been going in and making sure that though I am never going to physically dominate people with my size, I am going low and chopping people down.
“I think Jonny Wilkinson broke that mould [non-tackling fly halves] and with the modern game, everyone has to be a defender.
“I would prefer to concentrate on attack and all that, but I have enjoyed working on my defence, and making sure that I’m not disregarding my attack too much.”
