Six Nations 2013: Preview

RBS Six Nations 2013 kicks off in style with Wales vs Ireland this Saturday at the Millennium Stadium and starts the annual 7 weeks of high quality and high intensity rugby union. The elite of European rugby will be on show. With the Rugby World Cup edging ever closer, it is the chance for both players and teams to show they are more than a match for their counterparts. It is an opportunity for the hierarchy of Northern Hemisphere rugby to show their Southern Hemisphere rivals they are more than a match. All 6 nations in the tournament will feel they have realistic goals to achieve throughout and this will assess all the squads and their ambitions.

England:
Captain: Chris Robshaw.
2012 final position: 2nd.
Key player: Owen Farrell
Prediction: 2nd

England are, for many reasons, the most interesting team to assess entering the tournament. At the last World Cup in New Zealand they were a shambles. They entered that competition as arguably the best Northern Hemisphere team and were found wanting when it really mattered. They scraped through a rather easy looking group, albeit winning all 4 matches. Despite the unbeaten record, England won 2 of these matches by less than 5 points and in the other matches against Georgia and Romania they were tested and did not win convincingly enough to satisfy the watching public. Then in the Quarter Finals they met a below bar French team that were there for the taking and weakly crumbled under the pressure. They returned home failures.

In the years since the team has been rebuilt and is now based around players that are maybe not as talented as the squad of 2003 that won the World Cup, but they are warriors and fighters. The shining lights for England are without doubt Owen Farrell and the battering ram that is Manu Tuilagi. The latter has been ruled out for the opener against Scotland so it falls to Farrell to be the catalyst in the England back line. Farrell has had his critics but the fact he was nominated for IRB Player of the Year last season is a clear indication of the talent he possesses. Surely all good England produce must go through him. All this is good on paper but matches are not won on paper and I don't see England being able being able to overcome France in a match that will ultimately decide the tournament.

France:
Captain: Pascal Pape
2012: 4th
Key Player: Vincent Clerc
Prediction: 1st

France also pose an interesting dilemma. Everything points to them being weaker this year than last, which is difficult, but something about them just says a comeback is in the pipeline. They are always a team that everyone else hates facing because they are full of flair players and ball handling forwards that other teams, excluding the mighty New Zealand, just cannot match. Players such as Dusautoir and Mas are forwards who are more than happy to run on the shoulder of a back or break the game line and that just could be difference.

Vincent Clerc is a dynamic player who can play anywhere in the backline. He is amongst the best band carriers in World Rugby. He is certainly in the top 3 European backliners. He is going to be pivotal to any success France may have. Along with Parra and Trinh-Duc he must boss the midfield for France against the stronger nations in the tournament. If everything clicks for the enigmatic French, they will be unstoppable.

Ireland:
Captain: Jamie Heaslip
2012: 3rd
Key Player: Brian O' Driscoll
Prediction: 3rd

Ireland are a team firmly in transition. There was huge pressure on Declan Kidney to keep his job last year throughout the Autumn Internationals. He took a risk. It is still not known if this paid off. Kidney bled youngsters such as Simon Zebo and Iain Henderson and they were a revelation. There was call for these players to be the 'New Ireland' and older heads such as O' Driscoll and O' Callaghan should be eased out of the team before the Six Nations. It is all well and good saying this but even the most successful team needs old heads to keep the youngsters feet on the ground.

O' Driscoll has comeback from his long term injury lay-off and is firing on all cylinders. He is roaring. He will not start every game by any means but what a player to be able to bring on. He will send shivers down the spines of oppositions when he enters after an hour when legs are fading and so are the tackles. He is a leader and an inspirational and charismatic one at that. Ireland's greatest player. If he, and the rest of the squad, play the best of their ability they may just have an outside chance.

Wales:
Captain: Sam Warburton
2012: 1st (Grand Slam)
Key Player: Toby Faletau
Prediction: 4th

Wales' fall from grace in the last year has been well documented. They have fallen from 3rd in the IRB rankings to a current rating of 9th! In one year. They have lost 7 matches in a row since winning the Grand Slam in last year's Six Nations and there appears to be no stopping the rot. They must come firing out the blocks against an improving Ireland at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday afternoon to get the crowd behind them. Wales need to summon the same spirit they had throughout the World Cup to get back to winning ways. If they do, who knows?

Toby Faletau has been the most consistent number 8 in the Northern Hemisphere over the last 2 years. Only really Keiran Reid of New Zealand and Sergio Parisse of Italy would compete with him in World rugby. He, along with Sam Warburton, will be the linchpins of the Wales forward line. Both are more than capable of grabbing hold of a game and changing it in the favour of Wales. They have not done this enough over the past year and this really is the time to turn it on. Even if they do I fear it may not be enough and they will fall to the big boys. If their superstars in the mood they may shock a few but hope is all they have to begin with.

Italy:
Captain: Sergio Parisse
2012: 5th
Key Player: Sergio Parisse
Prediction: 5th

Italy are in the position of being a team with little overall talent, with one of the best rugby players in the world as their captain. Sergio Parisse would grace and team. He is a Number Eight who is one of the most skillful ball handlers on the planet. Despite his heroics, he is seldom supported with such commitment and ability from his teammates. I don't want to make it appear Italy are a poor team. They are just not as talented as the other teams in the tournament. It's that simple. They are currently ranked 10 in the world, just one place behind Wales, but this doesn't give a true representation of the gulf in class between the two nations. As they say, Class is permanent, Form is temporary.

As is always the case with Italy, much will be rested on the shoulders of Parisse. He is usually a catalyst for anything good that Italy do. If he is on one of his good days, he can win the battle up front almost single-handed. Their clash with Scotland will be vital as it is every year. Indeed for ever year since 2007 the two have finished 5th and 6th in the final standings. The match is usually a battle for the wooden spoon. This year, the evidence would suggest it will be no different unless one of the big boys have an off day. With an off-colour Wales likely to be open to upsets, maybe this gives Scotland and Italy maybe a hint of an opportunity of not finishing as bottom 2, but it is still unlikely at best.

Scotland:
Captain: Kelly Brown
2012: 6th
Key Player: Richie Gray
Prediction: 6th

Scotland's past year can only be described as dismal. They lost all 5 matches at the 2012 Six Nations and lost all but one of the Autumn Internationals. Albeit their one win was against Australia on their own turf. Despite the win in Australia, they humiliatingly lost to Tonga at home. This led to Tonga moving ahead of Scotland in the IRB rankings. This is not good enough for a proud rugby nation. You would like to think their shocking run in the 6 nations would end at some point but it is looking less and less likely to be this year. They simply do not have the firepower of the other nations and this can only end badly.

Richie Gray is a giant of a second row forward. Not the most skilled rugby player in the world but certainly one of the most powerful and difficult to stop. At 6 feet 8 inches and 18 stone is one of the heaviest and without doubt the tallest player in the tournament. This does not make a forward instantly good however, his reading of the game and bullish ball carrying makes his deadly. Any enterprising play or fortune Scotland have in the competition will surely be because of Gray. With rumours he is carrying a slight injury, hence his absence from Sale's Anglo-Welsh Cup match at the weekend, he must be wrapped in cotton wool. Even this may not be enough for Scotland to impact on the tournament.

This is an interesting year for the Six Nations with none of the countries standing out beforehand. The three Southern Hemisphere nations have dominated World Rugby in the last 12 months. England will maybe claim the upper hand in the build up as they have beaten the mighty All Blacks at Twickenham, and convincingly too. It is anybody's guess who may win the tournament but it must be out of England, France and Ireland. Wales are in a slump that seems to be showing no sign of stopping and Scotland and Italy will be playing for the Wooden Spoon. France are just showing enough to overcome England at present in my opinion but it will be one hell of a tournament.

MJ.