Who cares about the Scottish Cup, anyway? Yes, Hibs have a free weekend (thank heavens for small mercies after last week's dreadful showing against Motherwell), so attention switches to the oval ball with the opening round of Six Nation games.
I know that shrewd punters across the globe await my tips (if only to back something else), so here goes:
WALES will win the Six Nations. The Grand Slam may be beyond them (an away game in Paris is the key clash in this year's set of fixtures) but a Triple Crown is certainly within their grasp. A confident selection - and a steal at 15/8.
France - enigmatic as ever - will finish in runner-up spot. They have the flair, but can they deliver? We'll have a better idea at 7pm tonight after their clash in Ireland - should France prevail in Dublin their pre-tournament odds of 3/1 will look very generous indeed. That game should be a cracker.
Ireland - few new faces but you know what you'll get from the Irish. They won't disgrace themselves but I don't think they have the all-round talents to win the tournament. A creditable third place awaits.
England - England had a terrible autumn against the Southern hemisphere giants (good!) and Martin Johnson has a real job on his hands to restore England to their former glories. He's lucky to have Italy at home in the opener - expect England to kick and grind their way to an uninspiring victory. As ever, England expects - but I expect them to struggle this season and to finish fourth.
Scotland - A safety-first selection for the opener against Wales doesn't bode well for the 2009 Six Nations. I can't see where the tries will come from, and the lack of new faces shows real caution. I could be wrong (surely not? , but I expect Scotland's tournament to produce - at best - two winds. Fourth place.
Italy - There's no doubt that the Italians are improving with every season but they're up against it. Their discipline remains suspect, their stamina is questionable and while they have some talented individuals they still don't play as a team. A victory - any victory - in this tournament will be a fair achievement. The wooden spoon beckons.
So there you have it - this year's selections. It's Wales for me - back them at your peril!
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