Six tribes go to war

With the last three tournaments being won by three different grand slam winning sides it would be a brave person who confidently predicted the outcome of this year’s competition. Having beaten Wales in Cardiff, England look to have cemented their credentials as a title winning side. Once purveyors of the rucking and rolling game they now have a back-line capable of demolishing most opposition. The back three of Foden, Ashton and Cueto mixes pace and power, with genuine attacking nous. The clash between England and France at Twickenham it seems will now have a genuine bearing on the destination of the trophy. The Irish stumbled to a laborious 13-11 win over a hugely unlucky Italian side. Typically slow starters, Ireland, boosted by mercurial backs with a strong experienced forwards platform and inspired by talismanic captain Brian O’Driscoll, will certainly be tough to beat, particularly at Landsdowne Road. The best game of the weekend involved two sides playing counter-attacking running rugby, the fact that it was won by France will be no surprise. However, that their opponents were a Scotland side willing to try the unexpected, away from home, bodes well for the Murrayfield contingent. France blew away the cobwebs of a shaky Autumn to show that, regardless of the inconsistency of their selections, their sheer strength in depth will ensure they’ll be in the hunt for the title come Super Saturday. For Wales a brave defeat does not spell doom for the proceeding weeks as they retain a team of great strength and depth. Continuity is their major failing, but with young starlets such as Hook and Roberts, a bit of flair could go a long way. The Italians look to be making steady progress and perhaps the safest prediction that can be made, is that they will cause one surprise result. So, to the final prediction, there will be no grand slam for any side, France will take the title, followed by England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and then Italy. You heard it here first.