an epic in Lyon two years ago<\/a> and there was nothing riding on it.<\/p>\nTop try scorer Louis Bielle-Biarrey. There\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
When it\u2019s over we\u2019ll all say \u2026 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.<\/p>\n
Louis Bielle-Biarrey roars with delight as he gets the scoring under way in France\u2019s 42-27 victory against Ireland in Dublin last March. Photograph: Paul Faith\/AFP\/Getty ImagesAndy Bull<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Who is going to win and why? England are a step ahead of Ireland and France in where they\u2019re at as a squad, especially since Fabien Galthi\u00e9 seems to have given this year over to planning for the future.<\/p>\n
Predicted finishing order England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy.<\/p>\n
Watch out for \u2026 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.<\/p>\n
Top try scorer Louis Bielle-Biarrey, obviously. You can look for a reason not to pick him but the man\u2019s already scored 18 tries this season, to go with the 33 he scored last season, and is averaging one every 70 minutes.<\/p>\n
When it\u2019s over we\u2019ll all say \u2026 Well, I told you France always win it in the year after a Lions tour.<\/p>\n
Scotland\u2019s Jamie Dobie touches down for a try in the dominant 85-0 victory against USA in November. Photograph: David Gibson\/Fotosport\/ShutterstockMichael Aylwin<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Predicted finishing order England, Scotland, France, Ireland, Italy, Wales.<\/p>\n
Watch out for \u2026 We\u2019re always saying this could be Scotland\u2019s year. We\u2019re 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\u2026<\/p>\n
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\u2019t lie. Scored in every round last year. Has 10 tries in six Prem starts this season.<\/p>\n
When it\u2019s over we\u2019ll all say \u2026 There\u2019s nothing we\u2019ll all say, because nobody can agree on anything \u2013 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.<\/p>\n
Ange Capuozzo dives over during Italy\u2019s sole victory in last year\u2019s Six Nations campaign, against Wales. Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane\/ReutersLuke McLaughlin<\/p>\n
What are you most looking forward to? It\u2019s impossible not to begin at the end: England\u2019s trip across the Channel, the evening kick-off on the final day, has all the makings of a captivating and historic decider.<\/p>\n
Who will win and why? Smart money should be on France, playing Ireland and England at home, but Les Rosbifs\u2019 momentum and clarity of purpose under Steve Borthwick is undeniable. They will snatch it in Paris.<\/p>\n
Predicted finishing order England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Wales.<\/p>\n
Watch out for \u2026 England\u2019s Henry Pollock will be impossible to miss. But do keep an eye on another Henry, the irrepressible Slade, playing beautifully at 32.<\/p>\n
Top try scorer Rugby is a simple game, so here\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
When it\u2019s over we\u2019ll all say \u2026 This being rugby, this being sport, it is unwise to expect any kind of consensus. England\u2019s kicking game will attract opprobrium \u2013 their supporters won\u2019t care if it brings the championship.<\/p>\n
Henry Pollock kicks the ball on during England\u2019s charge that resulted in a try for Tom Roebuck against the All Blacks in November. Photograph: Adam Davy\/PABrendan Fanning<\/p>\n
What are you most looking forward to? How England cope with the arrival \u2013 nicely on schedule \u2013 of great expectations, juxtaposed with Wales\u2019s battle to stay afloat. The latter has implications for all of us.<\/p>\n
Who is going to win and why? France. They are the best equipped and tend to motor well in the wake of Lions tours.<\/p>\n
Predicted finishing order France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Wales.<\/p>\n
Watch out for \u2026 The shutdown on constant comms from players to referees. Or at least a noticeable reduction. The swift sentence for Bundee Aki<\/a> for this crime in the URC looks like a signpost.<\/p>\nTop try scorer Louis Bielle-Biarrey \u2013 or Billy Barry as he is widely known in Dublin after the eponymous stage school which produced so many artists quick on their feet.<\/p>\n
When it\u2019s over we\u2019ll all say \u2026 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.<\/p>\n
Tom Rogers crosses for one of his three tries during Wales\u2019s defeat by New Zealand in November. Photograph: David Davies\/PA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Robert Kitson What are you most looking forward to? Let\u2019s hope it stops raining at some stage. Because…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":283535,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":{"0":"post-283534","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-news","11":"tag-top-stories","12":"tag-topnews","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=283534"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283534\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/283535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=283534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=283534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=283534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}