It's the most, wonderful time, of the year!

Firstly - apologies all, I've been a bit AWOL of late but thought now would be the most opportune time get back!

So, it's that time of the year.  The end of January for me marks the proper start of the giddy nerves of excitement, hope and anticipation of a new Six Nations tournament.  I think this year is set to be the most open and difficult year to call for a long time.  There's a case for every team to win it (maybe with the exception of our friends from Italy - aggettivo!)  Anyway - here's my views on what might happen this year:

Ireland
I'm going to start with Irish to keep the countless people I know over there happy - though I don't think they'll be top of the list come March!  Still a great side with some almost legendary players in it.  And thats the problem.  O'Driscoll is still great and seems to still have the legs but there are question marks over a lot of the other players from the class of 2009.

Saying that - there are some classy young players coming through.  Sexton should start in place of O'Gara, probably with O'Gara coming on in the second half to steer the ship home should the Irish be ahead.  The injuries to Heaslip and Ferris are big big losses but it will give Sean O'Brien an opportunity following some impressive display in the Heineken Cup.

Can they win?  Well they've got France and England at home which gives them a good chance.  Will they win?  I don't think so - but next year they could be very good bets!

France
To say they got beat by Australia in the autumn is a bit of an understatement!  Saying that, it was probably a one off, a bad day at the office - we've all had them!  The side they've picked for the opener at the weekend is composed of a lot of players that finished last year, meaning they've got some continuity after a few years of squad rotation following the last world cup to find the right players.

Damien Traille at full back indicates a preference for big booming kicks from deep with which their exciting new young backs Mermoz and Huget can chase and harry.  Jauzion has been left out but I don't expect him to be too far from the action, he a class player and will get a chance to prove himself again at some point.

The scary thing is to look at the French bench to see the amount of talent and experience they can look to - Thion, Chabal Yachvili, Skrela and Poitrenaud are all there.

France are away to both Ireland and England this year which I think could dent their hopes of reclaiming the title, though I think you'd have to be brave to bet against them!

Italy
You have to love Italian rugby and playing the Italians.  They're full of passion and determination and will give most teams a run for their money.  Right up until the last 10-20 minutes when they always seem to fall apart!

The club sides have had some encouraging performances both in the Magners League and the Heineken Cup and I hope this experience will help them win at least one match this year.  But I can't see it happening.  As I said, this is a very open tournament - meaning everyone looks good.  Unless one of the sides capitulates then I don't see anything else other than Italy walking off with the wooden spoon.

They do have some great players with some big experience, Bergamasco and Castrogiavanni to name but two.  With more experience in the Magners League they'll all get better.  But not in time for this year!

Scotland
Scotland seem to look better and better all the time.  They're big and powerful up front, and have some backs that can cause some problems - even if they're not world class.

The back row is immense, and coupled with Hines in the second row make for a powerful unit going foward.  Add to that Murray in the front row and every team is in for a tough time up front.

Behind the scrum though its a slightly different story.  I'm not a fan of Dan Parks.  Every so often he does have a good game - but there's little consistency from game to game.  Without Chris Patterson they're not sure to get three points from every penalty in the opposition half like they once were.  This was massivley important as it compensated for their lack of try scoring ability!

Andy Robinson has them playing good disciplined rugby, but they're missing a bit of flair behind the scrum.  They need an O'Driscoll or a Jason Robinson that will spark off something unpredictable.  Is De Luca or Evans that man?  Probably not.

They're away to France and England and I don't think they'll beat Ireland even though they are at home.  Depending on Wales injury problems up front, that could be an opportunity and they should beat Italy.

Wales
Their tournament is going to depend very much on how they cope with some major players being on the injury list.  With both Jones and Jenkins missing I think the scrum is there for the taking and Sheridan and Cole will be licking their lips with anticipation.  Thats not to say that Paul James and Craig Mitchell aren't good players - they undoubtedly are as anyone who plays for Wales has to be.  However, their is a significant lack of experience there - in such a crucial part of the team.  A lot will already be on Rees as captain, this just intensifies it that little bit more.

I don't think Gatland has helped his team by sledging Hartley for the first match.  He's given Johnson so much ammunition which he can use to get the best out of Hartley.  Galtand and his coaching team should focus on getting the best out of their team - not helping out other teams.

It's a shame that Leigh Halfpenny will also be missing.  He's going to be a great player, already is, but at the moment it seems he's getting a lot of injuries - a case of too much playing for a young player?  Maybe.  The other Welsh backs though are as strong as ever.  I am however disappointed that Hook is at fullback and not inside centre where I think he can make a bigger mark on the game and utilise Jamie Roberts' bullocking runs.  I don't think however, unlike France, that Wales will be relying on a kick and chase game so expect some fireworks to fly.  And if all goes badly - they can always rearrange and bring Lee Byrne back in.  He's short of form but will come good again

Can the dragons roar in triumph come March?  Simply, No.  England, France and Scotland are going to be too much for them up front and Ireland will give them a good run for their money.

England
And finally, the English.  I obviously suffer from outragious bias opinions at this point!  If they focus on each game from the first minute through to the last then they have a great chance of going home with the trophy.  But they do have a tendancy to "drop off" at points which will normally always end in trouble.

Like Wales and Ireland there are injury concerns - Moody being the key one and I'm also disappointed to see Lawes and Croft out.  Though there are some good players coming in.  It's great that Tom Wood has been given a chance, he's been playing some great rugby at Northampton this year.  The scrum is looking very strong - the front row is going to take some stopping, as will Deacon and Palmer.

Behind the scrum it's looking good as well.  Ben Youngs is looking better and better with each game - it's a good bet that he will be considered the best scrum half in the world at some point soon if he carries on this stretch.  I'm pleased that Toby Flood has been kept on at 10 for the first game - there would have been a temptation to pick JW after his recent performances with Toulon in Europe, but like Ireland with ROG, it's good to be able to bring that much experience off the bench to see games out.

Pairing Flutey with Hape would have been interesting but Tindall will bring added bulk, defensive abilities, experience and leadership to the backs.  Hape has been alright but he needs a few stellar performances to cement his position before the World Cup.

And then there is the back three.  Foden and Ashton are, like Youngs, well on their way to being world class.  Couple that with the guile and experience that Cueto brings and all looks good.

They need a bit of luck (but then who doesn't!) but along with France I think England have a great shout of winning this year.  France at home isn't a gimmie by any stretch and away to Ireland will still be a massive test but they have a great chance, probably the best they've had since 2003.