The 26-year-old suffered knee ligament damage in the final game of last year's tournament against Ireland at Lansdowne Road in March.

But after 11 months on the sidelines, Taylor will start at number eight for Edinburgh in the Celtic League clash against Leinster at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Scotland coach Williams will be keeping his fingers crossed that Taylor comes through the game unscathed.

Taylor said: ''It is great to be back in the Edinburgh shirt.

''I am hoping all goes well and I can help Edinburgh win another game.''

But Edinburgh coach Frank Hadden is merely hoping the presence of his star man can inspire his team to a fourth successive win.

He added: ''We have won three games in a row and, although there has been a bit of a gap between games, we definitely feel that we are making progress.

''We want to finish the season on a high and we are delighted to have someone of Simon's pedigree available for selection this week.''

For Scotland, the return of Taylor would be a massive boost ahead of the Murrayfield clash with the Italians.