A Look at the 2012 Six Nations

The 6 Nations usually marks the climax of the Northern Hemisphere rugby season - and a sign that the start of the much elongated Southern Hemisphere rugby season is not very far away.

I shan't mention too much about the 6 Nations having not really followed the club competitions closely this season - I know Harlequins are dominating in England and the English clubs have had a bit of a shocker in the Heineken Cup. Having said that, when has club form ever translated into form for country?

England, last year's champions, have had massive upheaval since their disastrous Rugby World Cup. They still don't have a fulltime coach but Stuart Lancaster is no mug and will be out to show he is England's man for the long run. The players themselves, now led by Chris Robshaw and without Jonny Wilkinson after his international retirement, should be motivated to show their home fans that the World Cup was a blip and they are a far better team than they were in New Zealand. England have always had the talent but as Sir Graham Henry has rightly called, they're a team that has been playing within themselves.

France, Wales & Ireland are probably everyone's favourites to be champion - winning the Grand Slam is altogether another issue although Wales & Ireland play each other at the start meaning Grand Slam hopes for one of them could be written off before the championship starts properly.    

Wales & Ireland were certainly the surprise packages of the World Cup and are currently playing a superb brand of rugby. Sam Warburton will be keen to remind the world of his talent for Wales after that controversial red card in the semifinal against France while the Irish will be out to put aside the disappointment of losing the quarterfinal to Wales.

And then there's France, a side as mercurial as ever. They were one point away from causing a massive tidal wave of depression in New Zealand last year and are now out to show that they are the best side from the Northern Hemisphere. With new coach Philippe Saint-Andre now in charge, the French might be leading the charge of the favourites for the title.

But then again when has anything been straightforward for the French?

As for the Scots and Italians, they'll sadly prop up the table - but just.

The quality of rugby in the 6 Nations has never been as great as the drama produced - Super Rugby and the Tri Nations have always thumped it as an overall product. But the two mentioned competitions don't have the history of the 6 Nations.

So looking forward to keeping that ESPN active beyond the Super Bowl...

Player to watch: Brad Barritt for England. Barritt was so close to a Springboks jersey and joins Riki Flutey and Manu Tuilagi amongst England's most famous imports. A decent player and could feature in the midfield.