IRELAND
2013: Fifty years down the line, it is likely that Irish rugby will recall only one thing from the year that was 2013. It will not be the disappointment of finishing fifth in the Six Nations, nor will it be the comfortable victory over Samoa, which was closely followed by the resounding defeat to a poor Australian outfit. No, 2013 will be best remembered for those glorious seventeen minutes, in the city of Dublin, where Ireland had gone 19-0 up over New Zealand and turned, for a wonderful, earth-shattering moment, the rugby world on its head. With a brutal twist giving rise to one of the finest sporting comebacks of 2013, the world champions showed their mettle and their class until, in God's good time, they had snatched the victory right at the death, but Ireland will have taken great heart from that game, as heartbreaking as it may have been.
One could argue that a new coach, Joe Schmidt, who takes charge of his first Six Nations campaign, may very well equal a new Ireland. One could also argue that the Irish team is beset with an ageing squad, with ten players at the age of either thirty or over, which is a far greater number than that of their French or English counterparts, and a real lack of ambition - seeing as how this Irish team appear to be drifting into the 2015 World Cup, with a volatile mixture of youth and experience coupled with a crippling lack of consistency. It seems that the latter argument holds greater sway. Add in the difficult trips this year to England and France as well.
PREDICTION =4TH
Key Player:
Rob Kearney. Solid and dependable for his team's back-line. The Irish full-back will, in all likelihood, hit fifty caps over the course of the Six Nations. A fine accomplishment.
ITALY
2013: Italy have often found it difficult in the Six Nations.They are starting to turn the corner though, and promising performances by them are becoming more commonplace. 2013 was arguably their best fist of the competition yet. They beat France and Ireland at home, and in-between they gave England an almighty scare at Twickenham. After the promise, however, came the frustration. Heavy defeats to South Africa and Australia came in the summer and autumn respectively, as did narrow defeats to Scotland and Argentina - the latter two nations perhaps ones that Italy expected to beat, a sign of their growing confidence and intention in world rugby, perhaps?
Italy will start with trips to Cardiff and Paris. A home game against Scotland may offer some solace, before a visit to Dublin and the conclusion against either an England team smarting from defeat against Wales, or an England team looking to close out their ultimate victory. It matters not; a difficult, nay mountainous task awaits Italy for this year's Six Nations. Worse still, the element of surprise that Italy may once have held, the thought that they were mere minnows in the Six Nations, the idea that they may be taken lightly on account of this, has nearly dissipated owing to their ever-growing performances. For those reasons, I'm predicting a very difficult few weeks for Italy.
PREDICTION = 5TH
Key Player:
Sergio Parisse. The leader and stylish no.8, who has recently crossed 100 caps for his country, will once again be a staple of the Italian forward pack. Experience in abundance, and quality to match it. How well he does over the next five games will be key for the Italians.