Robert Kitson
Who will win? Ireland. Impossible to predict with total certainty this year but Ireland’s set-piece is superior to those of their rivals. Otherwise it’s basically six hungry ferrets in a sack.
Predicted order: Ireland, Wales, England, Scotland, France, Italy.
Brutality, home wins and drop goals: what to expect from the Six Nations
Key match? Wales v Ireland. The winner of this final-weekend fixture will almost certainly hoist the 2019 trophy. Given Ireland have only beaten the Welsh once in Cardiff since 2009 it will not be easy.
Most important player? Tadhg Furlong. Assuming he starts all five of Ireland’s games, the remaining nations will struggle to knock the defending champions off their perch. Every team in the world would pick him right now.
Breakthrough star? Scotland have a clutch of potential candidates. Keep an eye on Darcy Graham, Sam Johnson, Blair Kinghorn, Sam Skinner and Jamie Ritchie.
I can’t wait for … Ireland v England on Saturday. If only to find out whether a week of warm-weather training in sleepy Portugal is ideal preparation for a cold, raucous Dublin evening.
Nick Evans
Who will win? Ireland. I expect Wales to shoot out of the blocks early but I can’t see past a race between Ireland and England. Ireland have two matches at home, England have three but I’m putting my money on Joe Schmidt’s men to go back to back. Predicted order: Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland, France, Italy
Key match? Ireland v England. This Six Nations begins and ends in Dublin on Saturday and I can see the winner going on to win the tournament.
Most important player? Take all the fly-halves and consider just how much their coaches are hoping they don’t get injured. Put simply, quality leaders give you a better chance of winning so I can’t look past Johnny Sexton and Owen Farrell.
Breakthrough star? Sean Cronin, Ireland. I would love to see Cronin get plenty of minutes – he’s a try-scoring machine for Leinster and there is no reason why he can’t have the same impact in a green jersey.
I can’t wait for… How many times it is referenced that this Six Nations will have no bearing on the fortunes of teams at the World Cup.
Andy Bull
Who will win? Ireland. Home advantage should give them the edge against England and France, so as long they get by Scotland away it will all come down to whether they can beat Wales in Cardiff.
Predicted order: Ireland, Wales, England, Scotland, France, Italy.
Key match? There are two this first weekend, in Dublin and Paris, but Wales v Ireland looms large on the last weekend as the match that could define the championship, and maybe even a grand slam.
Most important player? Billy Vunipola. Good as England are, they’re that much better again when he’s playing. There are not many players in the Championship who single-handedly make such a difference to their team.
Breakthrough star? There are a handful of contenders in Jacques Brunel’s France squad, though they’re so callow it is hard to know how they will go. Demba Bamba is one, Romain Ntamack another.
I can’t wait for … All of it, any of it, every last little bit of it, except for the long wait in the rain for the last train out of Cardiff on the night after the Wales v England game.
Gerard Meagher
Who will win? Wales. They have the huge advantage of playing both England and Ireland at home. But first France must be beaten on Friday and, while it is likely to be tight, Wales have history on their side.
Eddie Jones’ forced to shuffle an England pack in need of cohesion
Predicted order: Wales, England, Ireland, France, Scotland, Italy.
Key match? Wales v Ireland. I don’t expect the grand slam to be on for either side but this is still likely to be the decider.
Most important player? Jonathan Davies, Wales. Owen Farrell and Jonathan Sexton are more influential for their sides in the sense that their absences are more keenly felt but when Davies plays well, so do Wales.
Breakthrough star? Damian Penaud, France. Has made the move from centre to wing for Clermont this season, appearing out wide more often than not, and that is where he stays for France. A classy operator with a habit of making yards in heavy traffic and an eye for a try.
I can’t wait for … Craft and imagination to prevail over power and physicality. If we are constantly talking about brutality and intensity the tournament will be all the poorer for it.
Michael Aylwin
Who will win? Ireland. England should be more competitive, Wales and Scotland capable of shaking things up. There is no obvious reason, bar the risk of injury to Conor Murray and/or Johnny Sexton, for thinking Ireland won’t be the team to beat.
Predicted order: Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, France, Italy.
Key game? Scotland v Ireland. Scotland have three home matches and a winnable trip to France in the first four rounds. They will beat Italy in the first, then it is Ireland in the second. That will make or break their confidence.
Most important player? Johnny Sexton. It’s almost always the fly-halves, isn’t it? Owen Farrell is by far England’s; Sexton (a little ahead of Murray) is Ireland’s; Finn Russell is Scotland’s (because he is so inconsistent). Taulupe Faletau is probably Wales’s, but he is injured. So Sexton.
Breakthrough star? Darcy Graham is the latest to blaze a trail for the regular-sized guy. The 21-year-old from Hawick is 5ft 9in and, depending on who you believe, between 11 and 13 stone. But he can move.
I can’t wait for … All of this to be reduced to nothing more than a qualifying competition for the League of Nations. Please tell us Agustín Pichot’s vision for international rugby is nothing more than a bad dream.
Women’s Six Nations
Ian Malin
Who will win? Grand slam champions France beat world champions New Zealand in November and are the only threat to England. France have a strong pack but the English forwards are well drilled. Ireland in Dublin will be a tough test for Simon Middleton’s squad, though.
Predicted order: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Wales.
Key match? England v France in Doncaster on Sunday week is the pivotal game by a country mile. England are still smarting from their last-gasp defeat in Grenoble last March.
Most important player? Safi N’Diaye, the Montpellier back-rower, will be at her home stadium when the champions open their account against Wales on Saturday. The 30-year-old is powerful and quick and will be a threat at the breakdown.
Breakthrough star? England prop Hannah Botterman, a 19-year-old painter and decorator from Luton, made a splash in the autumn Tests. The Saracens forward is a powerful ball-carrier who won’t take a backward step.
I can’t wait for … An Italian renaissance. Italy have never finished better than third in the Six Nations but the full-back Manuela Furlan, who took over as captain in November, can spark a revival when she leads her much-improved side in Glasgow this weekend.