Former England and Lions star Guscott is a BBC rugby union pundit

Following another weekend of top rugby union action, former Bath, England and Lions centre Jeremy Guscott answers your questions on the game's big talking points.

Some of the topics under discussion include:

The ongoing battle for top spot in the Guinness Premiership after victories for Leicester and Northampton;

The long-awaited return of Wasps and England forward Tom Rees;

A shock win for the Dragons over Magners League rivals the Ospreys;

And the ongoing debate about the effectiveness of Dan Parks.

If you have any questions for Jerry, please use the postform supplied.

Does Northampton's ground-out victory against Wasps demonstrate just how good they are at the moment? They looked slightly off the pace compared to usual but still looked dangerous and were able to up the pressure and kill the game when they needed to. Twenty one home wins in a row is unbelievable.
Michael, England

Northampton, like their versatile back Shane Geraghty, are flying high

Michael, Northampton's performance was good, especially when you consider they had to cope with the disruption that comes with the return of their international players after Six Nations duty. The real tests will come when they get to the play-offs. Then Saints will have to prove whether they have what it takes to be the best.

Hi Jeremy. Do you think Bath will grab the fourth play-off place? If so, do we have what it takes to win the title?
Charlie, England

Charlie, recent form is all good, confidence is high and Bath will fancy their chances against anyone in the league right now. Leicester away next week will be a massive test. To stand any chance of making the top four, they will have to win that one, as well as the matches against Wasps and Saints.

Hey Jeremy. With the way Worcester are currently performing in the Premiership, do you think they will be the club that will be relegated?
Ben, USA

Ben, Worcester have been in so many relegation battles they know what it takes to survive. That experience will be invaluable coming down the stretch. Their matches against Sale and Leeds will go a long way to deciding their fate.

Jeremy, Gloucester have turned things around in recent months and returned to the form that saw them end the Premiership regular season at the top of the table twice in recent years. Where do you think they are due to finish in the table at the end of the season? Also, who do you think will be facing the drop to the Championship?
Richard Keohane, England

Richard, I'm pleased for Brian Redpath that Gloucester have found their way back and are showing some good form. Redpath is an honest, hard-working coach who found it hard to adjust from being number two to number one. His hard work and perseverance seem to be paying off, despite the club losing the LV= Cup final. Gloucester are a big club with a fantastic stadium, good financial support and passionate supporters. They should always be pushing for top honours. I think Gloucester will finish mid-table - between fifth and seventh - but who will be relegated is too close for me to call.

Dear Jeremy, I am interested in hearing your opinion on who would be the ideal open-side flanker for England? Can Tom Rees get back to international level, can Steffon Armitage control his temperament and is Lewis Moody a natural seven or six?
Jamie, England

Jeremy, this weekend we saw Tom Rees come back from a long-term injury, and in all fairness he seemed pretty good! What are your thoughts of him getting to the autumn internationals with England?
Matt Wright, Bristol, England

Jamie and Matt, I'm a fan of the old-style fetching open-side who links well with the backs and slows down opposition ball or turns it over. These days there is a lot of emphasis on statistics, especially carrying the ball, and a lot of open-sides carry too much ball into contact, stopping them doing the job I feel they should be doing. All the open-sides you mention have their strengths. If you mixed them all together, the composite player would probably match the current best sevens in the world, who I think are Richie McCaw, David Pocock and Schalk Burger. Moody is getting on a bit and I would like to see Rees and Armitage fight it out on the summer tour to find out who is the best. It's good to see these guys fighting for the spot. Competition for places is crucial and the form player should be picked.

Hi Jeremy. I am not sure if you witnessed the Dragons totally outplay the Ospreys star-studded line-up on Friday evening, but what do you make of Dan Biggar and his comments in the press midweek? He is consistently brimming with confidence, almost arrogance, in the press? Jason Tovey was much more accomplished on Friday and managed the game superbly. Should Tovey be on the tour to NZ this summer? Thanks
Neil Williams, Wales

Having seen the Dragons beating a star-studded Ospreys side on Saturday, do you think that players such as Aled Brew, Tovey, Wayne Evans and Ashley Smith should be in with a shot at international selection? If not, what more do you think they have to do?
David, Wales

Is Tovey the latest model off the Welsh fly-half production line?

Neil and David, Biggar was Wales' number two fly-half before the game between the Dragons and the Ospreys. Despite Tovey's brilliant performance, he still probably holds on to that slot - but only just. Tovey's display will not have gone unnoticed by Wales coach Warren Gatland and there is every chance he will go on the summer tour to Argentina. Biggar's comments - from what I hear about the lad - shouldn't have come as any surprise to anyone. He will learn in his own time what to say, when to say it and who to say it to - it's all about maturing as a player and a person. Tovey and Biggar couldn't have a better man to learn from than Stephen Jones. He is playing some fantastic rugby and is very realistic and honest when you hear him speak after a game.

Jerry, where do you stand in the "Dan Parks debate" which inevitably seems to polarise opinions in Scotland every time Dan plays? Do you think he'll be accepted in Cardiff next season?
Bernie Mitchell, Scotland

Bernie, Dan Parks will be accepted as long as he performs. If he plays anything like he has shown throughout this last Six Nations, the Cardiff Blues supporters will love him. Blues have struggled greatly since Nicky Robinson's departure to Gloucester, and Parks at his best will fill the hole. Cardiff have been poor this year because they didn't adequately replace the players that departed - I hope they don't make the same mistake again now Xavier Rush has gone!

Hi Jeremy. I was very pleased with England's final Six Nations match against France, albeit gutted with the result. Do you think the addition of Mike Tindall at centre has demonstrated that a centre partnership must always be a mix of one skilful, quick-footed playmaker and one hard running, hard tackling enforcer? If so, why did they have two lightweight centres from the start?
Gerlad 'Gingerlad' Darley, England

Are you concerned that England are not giving their backs chances? I am also concerned about replacing Mat Tait with Tindall. Tindall does not bring to the game what a centre should and the last thing we need is another forward! Your comments?
Athena Rees, England

Gingerlad and Athena, Tindall had a good all-round game for England against France and the selection paid off for Martin Johnson. Tindall made his tackles and was direct in attack - that is what the England team had been missing. I've always liked a centre partnership that has a combination of skill and pace but these days you do sometimes require some beef to get over the gainline. For me, Tait didn't stand out enough. He's too quiet and doesn't demand the ball enough from the players inside him. He didn't really do anything wrong but, a bit like Jonny Wilkinson, he seemed happy accepting what was happening around him rather than demanding the ball and being inventive with it. Tait wasn't helped by an out-of-sorts Riki Flutey, whose input and performances were inadequate to the point I sometimes didn't realise he was playing in the match I was watching.

In Sheffield and other surrounding areas, rugby isn't even mentioned at school. When I was there, there was one team representing the whole five years of learning. Only public schools played rugby. Surely if rugby is to find the stars of the future it needs to be spreading its net as wide as possible, and at the moment it's just not happening. Talking to others it's a similar situation around the rest of the country, what does the RFU need to do to get a change in this area?
Dale Hargreave, England

Dale, as I understand it the RFU really does its best to spread the word with school initiatives. It is also up to the clubs in the area, like Rotherham and Doncaster, to attract youngsters from surrounding schools to their respective mini and junior sections. I agree with you that rugby needs to be available to as many youngsters as possible so they can at least have a go to see if they like it. I'm guessing that a lot of schools might not want their kids to play rugby union because of the health and safety aspect involved.

Jeremy, there are many claims for Olly Barkley, who has been in good form for Bath, to get on the plane to Australia in the summer. What are your thoughts?
Jack, England

Barkley is good form after a bad injury - is an England recall on the horizon?

Jack, I think Barkley has a good chance of making the tour if he continues to impress. I understand England will be taking a large squad of players and his experience would be a plus.

Jerry's Six Nations team... no Imanol Harinordoquy???? Player of the tournament, hands down.
Tristan, England

Tristan, I thought Johnnie Beattie, Jamie Heaslip and Harinordoquy all had great championships. I could have picked any one of them.

Jerry, after watching such a fantastic LV= Cup final in sunny conditions on hard grounds, what is your opinion on switching to a summer season? After a winter where most of the rugby played in all competitions has been dreadful and everyone is screaming out for entertainment, maybe it is time to switch?
Pat, UK

Pat, rugby in the summer would be good for running, entertaining rugby but is never going to happen. Rugby is just dandy where it is. It's up to coaches and players to play the game as they see fit and the supporters can agree or disagree by attending or not.

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