England did well recently against the All Blacks, the French completed a flawless performance against Australia and South Africa, while the Welsh confirmed their progress from last year's Grand Slam and the Irish are dreaming of winning a Grand Slam.

There will be a great atmosphere and every team will want to defeat the defending champions.

The Italians with their new coach Pierre Berbizier should also have their say, that's why I predict this year's tournament will be very interesting and tight.

The French look like favourites especially because of their favourable schedule with three matches at home and their last clash being against the English. It will be a huge encounter once again.

Lawrence Dallaglio is now back and we will see if he still has the level and whether he is capable of bringing enough to the team. He is part of the old generation but he feels very strong and that's going to be interesting.

As far as France are concerned, they are favourites but I am always wary of that sort of status.

Any team can be a surprise, that's what the Welsh did last year. I also believe that the team that will win the 6 Nations this year will be in better condition ahead of the World Cup.

But France have definitely reached a new level, I was very impressed last Autumn as they were extremely well managed by the coaching staff who made the right decisions at the right time for the right matches.

If they do that again for the tournament, for sure, France will go far.