Scotland coach Ian McGeechan has recalled Edinburgh's Duncan Hodge for the Calcutta Cup clash with England this Saturday.

The Edinburgh Gunners' man will take up his position as stand-off and as goal-kicker for the Scots at Murrayfield on Saturday in the opening Lloyds TSB Six Nations game.

Hodge scored all the Scotland points in the 19-13 victory two years ago which denied England and coach Clive Woodward the grand slam in 2000.

Gregor Townsend comes in at centre in place of the injured John Leslie.

The 27-year-old did not feature for the whole of autumn Test series last November against Tonga, Argentina and New Zealand.

But McGeechan believes Hodge has now found the consistency necessary ahead of the Six Nations opener.

McGeechan said: "We have been working the two combinations with both Duncan and Gregor Townsend at 10 so it has been straightforward.

"Duncan has been playing well and Gregor's experience in the middle gives us something else.

"We have got two distributors and decision makers in there. The backs are interchangeable in what they can do and that creates a different strength for us.

"One of the things he (Hodge) brings to the scene is goal-kicking. He has been playing well and is a good distributor.

"It is a credit to him that, since the autumn, he has responded to what we wanted to see coming out of him.

"His play has shown a real consistency and not just one-off displays. That has been there since the autumn.

"There has also been a quality in his play that maybe hasn't been there as consistently. It is all credit to Duncan and his hard work."

McGeechan has been particularly impressed with the way Hodge has "talked" his way back into international contention on the field.

McGeechan said: "In the past Duncan has been quiet and it is very important that you have directness and communication in his position.

"He has shown that he has been taking a real hold of his game and the play.

"It is very important he continues that on Saturday. It is a major plus in his game which wasn't there consistently before.

"Each performance has had that consistency about it and that is what you are hoping your front-line players will be producing."

But McGeechan - whose selection of Tom Smith, Matt Stewart and captain Budge Pountney means they will be up against Northampton team-mate Steve Thompson - believes his team selection for the game will provide him with greater options throughout the 80 minutes.

McGeechan said: "One of the strengths is the interchangeability. If the game is very fluid and the ball is in play for a long time, if you have got players who are very comfortable, it is a definite plus."

McGeechan insists his selection is not based on historical fact after the Calcutta Cup triumph in April 2000.

McGeechan said: "Two years ago is just history now. England are very different and I would like to think we are a bit different as well.

"The selection is about the pluses the players have shown over the last two months."

Team:
G Metcalfe (Glasgow), B Laney (Edinburgh), J McLaren (Glasgow), G Townsend (Castes), C Paterson (Edinburgh), D Hodge (Edinburgh), B Redpath (Sale), T Smith (Northampton), G Bulloch (Glasgow), M Stewart (Northampton), S Murray (Saracens), S Grimes (Newcastle), J White (Glasgow), S Taylor (Edinburgh), B Pountney (Northampton, Captain).

Replacements: R Russell (Saracens), G Graham (Newcastle), M Leslie (Edinburgh), J Petrie (Glasgow), A Nicol (Glasgow), A Henderson (Glasgow), J Steel (Glasgow).