He became a regular part of the Scotland team during the 2012 Six Nations, following Dan Parks' sudden retirement after the first round of the tournament. He took on the kicking duties, and in his first start against Wales he scored all of Scotland's 13 points, including a try. He remained at fly-half throughout the rest of 2012 at both international and club level, and captained Edinburgh to a semi-final appearance in that year's Heineken Cup.