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@wibble
didn't see the usual international period bumpage of this thread so thought I'd do it myself..
Probably the most open 6 nations for years now. I think there are 3 teams that could realistically take it and another couple that could surprise us.
Surprisingly, England look the most settled (if not the most attacking/inventive) and they've picked a very lumpy squad to face Wales tonight. They'll be hoping to get stuck into the weakened Welsh forwards and not give their attacking talents behind any good ball to play with.
Ireland have probably got the best draw for fixtures (the two favourites England and France on home soil and a starting match against Italy) which could translate into good momentum which is always needed to get things together in the 6N. They might be missing Ferris and Heaslip but O'Brien, Wallace and Leamy are more than ample replacements. Also, with the addition of Mike Ross in the front row and Cian Healy's continued development, they could have improved on their biggest weakness of recent times.
France probably have the most talented squad available to them but their poor performances in the autumn internationals have somewhat stunted their momentum. If they can pull it together, they'll be on course but away matches against Ireland and England will be tough if they're not in the right frame of mind.
Wales are another team in a bit of disarray form wise and with some important injuries (front row in particular) they could find themselves struggling. They're always dangerous with ball in hand but if the set piece isn't up to scratch they could once again be guilty of trying to force their hand and being too open.
Scotland have been steadily building for the last couple of seasons and with some exciting youngsters coming through (Richie Gray, Rauridh Jackson) they could take advantage of the open-ness of the tournament and surprise some people.
Italy as ever will struggle this season. They've always got a strong pack and can challenge on that front but this year especially they're struggling for quality in the backs (half-backs in particular). No doubt they'll put in some good challenges but don't expect much.
In a world cup year this could be the best indicator of how the northern hemisphere teams will fare in the big one in NZ.
My predictions:
1.Ireland
2.England
3.France
4.Scotland
5.Wales
6.Italy