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Robert Kitson
What are you most looking forward to? Let’s hope it stops raining at some stage. Because if Matthieu Jalibert, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Henry Arundell, Manny Feyi-Waboso, Louis Rees-Zammit et al have a licence to thrill with a dry ball this could be an eye-catching championship.
Who is going to win and why? France. Three home games, the world’s best player fit again, big forwards, highly promising youngsters, and England haven’t won the title in the season after a British & Irish Lions tour since 1963.
Predicted finishing order France, England, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Wales.
Watch out for … Hollie Davidson, who is about to become the first female referee to take charge of a men’s Six Nations game. It should have happened years ago.
Top try scorer Now Damian Penaud is not around to steal his thunder the only possible answer is Bielle-Biarrey.
When it’s over we’ll all say … “The tournament has flown by.” Having just one fallow week instead of two will also favour bigger nations with deeper squads.
Ugo Monye
What are you most looking forward to? The away trips. Spending weekends in different places and soaking up the atmosphere is the best thing about the Six Nations. I cannot wait for Murrayfield next week and Rome is always glorious.
Who is going to win and why? I’m backing England because they have the greatest strength in depth and a great level of consistency. It’s a happy squad. It’s rare that everyone is hunting you when you’re not defending the championship, but England can handle that.
Predicted finishing order England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy.
Watch out for … The return of the king in Antoine Dupont. It was in the championship last year that he sustained his long-term injury but he is back to marshal the troops. He remains the north star for all other scrum-halves. Quite simply the best player of his generation.
Top try scorer Louis Bielle-Biarrey – it feels like it has to be France’s diminutive flyer. He’s just a magnificent rugby player and having his club-mate Matthieu Jalibert at fly-half will only help.
When it’s over we’ll all say … That the Six Nations is the greatest rugby tournament in the world. Every year we have this sense of anticipation and it doesn’t disappoint. Lots of other competitions are tinkering with their formats, but nothing needs to change about the Six Nations.
Gerard Meagher
What are you most looking forward to? Thursday night rugby. It is a one-off and at this stage likely to remain that way, but there is an extra frisson of excitement that the Six Nations begins on a school night.
Who is going to win and why? France. They’ll probably need another grand slam to do it, but they have Ireland and England at home and have clearly had the cattle-prod treatment from Fabien Galthié.
Predicted finishing order France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Wales.
Watch out for … If France and England have both won their first four matches then Le Crunch will be a barn-burner. It was an epic in Lyon two years ago and there was nothing riding on it.
Top try scorer Louis Bielle-Biarrey. There’s no clearer demonstration in elite rugby union that speed kills than watching the Bordeaux wing in full flight. He will probably score in every game again.
When it’s over we’ll all say … Roll on the Nations Championship. There will be teething problems but there are some mouthwatering fixtures in July and November and if it does take off as a competition the Test game will be all the richer for it.
Andy Bull
What are you most looking forward to? Hard to look past the final weekend, which is scheduled to pitch Wales against Italy, Ireland against Scotland, and France against England. From this distance all three games feel crucial to the future of everyone involved.
Who is going to win and why? England are a step ahead of Ireland and France in where they’re at as a squad, especially since Fabien Galthié seems to have given this year over to planning for the future.
Predicted finishing order England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy.
Watch out for … Jamie Dobie. Scotland will probably start Ben White at No 9, but Dobie can cover wing and scrum-half, where his pace and finishing could cause all sorts of problems later in the game.
Top try scorer Louis Bielle-Biarrey, obviously. You can look for a reason not to pick him but the man’s already scored 18 tries this season, to go with the 33 he scored last season, and is averaging one every 70 minutes.
When it’s over we’ll all say … Well, I told you France always win it in the year after a Lions tour.
Michael Aylwin
What are you most looking forward to? Not having something else hanging over the championship. No Lions tour (thank God), no World Cup. And can you imagine if there were some hideous construct like a sort of nations cup dogging the Six Nations every year? I know. Enjoy it for what it is.
Who is going to win and why? England. Short-term problems at prop maybe, but few others have the options that are starting to overflow in some departments. They are also on a winning run, although beware Murrayfield in round two. Even if they lose there, they can win a finale in Paris.
Predicted finishing order England, Scotland, France, Ireland, Italy, Wales.
Watch out for … We’re always saying this could be Scotland’s year. We’re always saying Italy are really improving and might not come last. Why change now. Are we seeing cracks in France and Ireland, both humbled in the autumn? Watch out for Scotland and Italy then. Again…
Top try scorer Tommy Freeman. Such is his class and all-round ability, his actual try-scoring exploits almost come as a surprise. But the stats don’t lie. Scored in every round last year. Has 10 tries in six Prem starts this season.
When it’s over we’ll all say … There’s nothing we’ll all say, because nobody can agree on anything – in rugby as much as in any field of this benighted planet. I fully expect to say (again) how brilliant some, much (probably not all) of the rugby has been. Rugby has never been better to watch.
Luke McLaughlin
What are you most looking forward to? It’s impossible not to begin at the end: England’s trip across the Channel, the evening kick-off on the final day, has all the makings of a captivating and historic decider.
Who will win and why? Smart money should be on France, playing Ireland and England at home, but Les Rosbifs’ momentum and clarity of purpose under Steve Borthwick is undeniable. They will snatch it in Paris.
Predicted finishing order England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Wales.
Watch out for … England’s Henry Pollock will be impossible to miss. But do keep an eye on another Henry, the irrepressible Slade, playing beautifully at 32.
Top try scorer Rugby is a simple game, so here’s a simple answer. Louis Bielle-Biarrey of France, the best finisher in the competition, is sure to capitalise on all that lovely front-foot ball.
When it’s over we’ll all say … This being rugby, this being sport, it is unwise to expect any kind of consensus. England’s kicking game will attract opprobrium – their supporters won’t care if it brings the championship.
Brendan Fanning
What are you most looking forward to? How England cope with the arrival – nicely on schedule – of great expectations, juxtaposed with Wales’s battle to stay afloat. The latter has implications for all of us.
Who is going to win and why? France. They are the best equipped and tend to motor well in the wake of Lions tours.
Predicted finishing order France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Wales.
Watch out for … The shutdown on constant comms from players to referees. Or at least a noticeable reduction. The swift sentence for Bundee Aki for this crime in the URC looks like a signpost.
Top try scorer Louis Bielle-Biarrey – or Billy Barry as he is widely known in Dublin after the eponymous stage school which produced so many artists quick on their feet.
When it’s over we’ll all say … Compressing the tournament into a six-week window felt like a squeeze. This much-loved creature needs to draw breath more than once in the campaign.
