One thing I am sure of is that whoever does go on to win the competition will not win a Grand Slam as I think that every side will lose at least one game.

I must say that I do fancy Ireland to come out on top, as they have some quality backs and a good pack of forwards.

England are always a threat but they have an extremely tough start to the competition as they have to travel to both Wales and Ireland and they could quite easily slip up in either one of those two games.

France have a huge amount of strength in depth and a tremendous amount of quality in their club sides, but they are so unpredictable that you never really know which French side will turn up on the day.

From a Scottish point of view, Im pleased that Ally Hoggs injury seems to be clearing up quicker than had been expected, although I am still worried about their chances in Paris.

Hopefully the Edinburgh players who were involved in the win over Perpignan in the European Cup will take some confidence out of the fact that they put the French side to the sword.

But in reality its hard to see Scotland winning after the last two games they have played against France in the 2003 World Cup and in last years Six Nations.

Hopefully the Scots will be able to put in a performance in Paris that enables them to build some confidence for the rest of the tournament.