WillGreenwood

Luck of the Irish? Not in the Six Nations 2012. First round defeat at home, a match postponed, then when it looked like they'd got back on track with a big win over Italy and a barnstormer in Paris, injury strikes again. At 4.7, is it worth backing Scotland to add to Declan Kidney's misery? No team in the world would be unaffected by the absence of Paul O'Connell. The man is a mountain, a monster, a mighty front five dynamo who also happens to be in great form. However, I do like his replacement. Donnacha Ryan is a hard man, there are no bleach blonde locks for this behemoth and, like the player he's standing in for, he's astute too. I've been impressed by his displays for Munster and he won't be daunted by the challenge on Saturday. Ireland will buoyed by what they achieved in Paris....

Phillipe Saint-Andre will have been as frustrated as Declan Kidney when France's match against Ireland was cancelled. Les Bleus played with poise and panache against Italy in round one and he won't have wanted anything to stymie the flow of his elegant attack. You might expect Aurelien Rougerie and Wesley Fofana to run riot against this ragged Scotland team but Andy Robinson remains an astute coach and I think the changes he's made for this match should mean the hosts stay in touch. France might be restricted to under ten points in the first-half and the home side could be level or even ahead at the break. You'll be able to get good odds on Scotland/France in the half-time/full-time market and I advise a small stakes wager. I like Stuart Hogg, the teenage full-back who will make his...

I'm baffled by the odds on Saturday's Six Nations opener between Scotland and England. The hosts are favourites with everybody except bettors and I won't be putting my money anywhere near the 1.78 on Stuart Lancaster's young team. This is Scotland's chance to record a famous victory. England go up to Murrayfield with an untested team, which has been selected by three respected but, at this level at least, inexperienced coaches. They haven't won north of the border since 2004 and the Scots will be determined to avenge the narrow defeat that dumped them out of the World Cup. New Zealand was a nadir for English rugby and, while I like what Stuart Lancaster has said and done so far, it can't be forgotten that the Red Rose are trying to rebuild after a demoralising autumn. Don't think ...

[u]New Zealand v France - Saturday 09:30 (ITV1)[/u] Bettors who believe this is a second string French side are kidding themselves. Marc Lievremont is a coach of firm convictions. He axes those who do not play well and sticks with those who deliver: performance is his only criteria for selection. Francois Trinh-Duc has been punished for a couple of indifferent displays but if Lievremont was resting key men, he would not have selected Morgan Parra. The fly-half/scrum-half, who will play at ten against New Zealand, is essential to French progress at the World Cup and, on a wet night in Auckland, his kicking could be vital. The battle between Parra and Dan Carter is an intriguing prospect but France have stealth amongst the forwards too. Lionel Nallet, aka "the caveman," is a formidable...