Six Nations........One Dream!!!

Yes they were amazingly good in the 60's and 70's and for some unknown reason, those plucky Welshies look to be starting to enjoy a similar run of success in the latter part of this decade, as their attacking flair and passion for the game has made them once again one of the best teams in the world. They have incredible attacking prowess with the likes of James Hook, Shane Williams and Lee Byrne in their backline, and with emerging players like Leigh Halfpenny looking comfortable against the best the Southern Hemisphere had to offer, these are bright times for a side that I think everyone will agree, play the best rugby of the lot. They also have an amazing defence and with Ryan Jones leading an incredibly aggressive pack, I can see them blowing most teams away, and can't look past them as winners, although I am not sure they will win the Grand Slam, the away game against the French will be very tricky, especially if the incredibly talented but now "Sicknote" Henson might not be around much.

So who will be their main competitors?? I see France, Ireland and England all on the next level, with Scotland also making great strides and I feel that any team will have to work very hard to beat them at Murrayfield, but is the first three that I see as being the teams fighting it out for second place. Scotland have some good talented youngsters coming through like Ben Cairns, and Frank Hadden has got them playing the best rugby to come out of Murrayfield for years, but I fear they will suffer on their travels against the bigger teams, although I don't think they will take a backward step, and there is a belief about this Scottish team that means they will pose a real threat.

England simply do not have enough world class players at the moment, I expect us to put in some battling displays, and I am actually pleased (and I am probably the only one!) to see Andy "Fat Lad" Goode wearing the number 10 shirt. I have watched him for years as a Leicester fan and with his current form at Brive where he is the French Leagues leading scorer with 160 points so far this season, I feel he is the best choice for the job. I know he hasn't exactly been dynamic for England in his previous games, but I feel that giving Cipriani a run in the Saxons to hopefully get him firing again is a great shout, and you know what you will get with Goode, and in fact with most of the England side, so I expect us to easily beat the Italians. It will be good to see the two Armitage brothers stepping out to play for England at 3pm on Saturday (the first two to do so since the legendary Underwood's....and their dancing mum!), and I wish them the best of luck, as they have the potential to be truly world class players, plus having Tindall and Flutey together in the centres could be interesting, but the biggest improvement if England are going to truly compete in the tournament has to come in the forwards, where we have been lacking hugely with our aggression in the contact area, and at times have looked slower than my 3 legged arthritic blind dog, although I do feel that Harry Ellis will add some extra zip at 9, as although he has been out with a suspension, he has been using the time to go crazy on his conditioning work, and will have a point to prove, plus watch out for Foden, he can be quite a dangerous runner if given space although I am not sure how he will fare in the more physical world of international rugby.

My final point for England is that I hope if they do nothing else, it is to dominate the contact zones, and with this I mean compete in the tackle area, look to use defence as an offensive weapon by making big hits, forcing the turnover and stopping the oppo getting onto the front foot. This is where we have been lacking severely against the top teams in the world, and we need a bit of that "Mad Dog" back in the side. Plus I hope our decision makers fare a little bit better than they have done since................well, lets be honest, ever since that Wilkinson drop goal in 2003.

Ireland and France I feel are both sides who have so many match winners on the pitch they will always be dangerous, especially at home, but you do get the sense that like England they are lacking the truly world class players in the key decision making areas, and therefore while they may have moments of class, they probably wont be able to sustain it for long periods of time. A lot of people are saying the Irish captain Brian O'Driscoll is past his prime, and yes while he may have lost a yard of place, I disagree with this as I think he is still one of the worlds best centres, and while he may not ba as nippy as he was, his experience makes up for it and anyone who writes him off does so at their own peril.

The French have the talismanic Sebastian "Caveman" Chabal back in the side, and expect him to be his normal Barnstorming self, plus keep an eye out for Maxime Meddard, a versatile 22 year old typically flamboyant winger/full back who has the potential to really set the tournament alight if he gets the space.

The Italians again have made giant leaps forward, and once more will be a massive threat up front, but you do kind of feel that with the announcement that normal Flanker Bergasmasco will cover at scrum half they are shooting themselves in the foot a bit (although I think they literally had no other option!). Not only is it taking one of their best players and playing him out of position, I don't care how good you are, adjusting to playing scrum half is not easy and while he can pick up the basics quickly, I expect his service to the Italian ten to be slow, stopping them from getting any space for their backs to exploit, and I also think the more experienced 9's playing against him will have a field day on his positioning, although if he does get near them, expect some savage hits!

So all in all, I reckon it's going to be the best 6 nations for ages, with Wales (who will win the triple Crown but not the Grand Slam) just edging it over a resurgent England and France, with Ireland in 4th, Scotland a plucky 5th and Italy, despite their best bruising efforts stuck at the bottom of the table.

That's my two penneth; now bring on 3pm tomorrow afternoon, and COME ON ENGLAND!

You can listen to my commentary on the rugby, plus I have a chat with Martin O'Neill, and get Allan Bateman's and Sky Sports Steve-o's verdict on the new Engage Super League, plus obviously all the footy scores, cricket updates and the best darn rock music around for you on Offside tomorrow from 1pm on Kerrang, and check the Live Blog on this website for all your Sporting needs!