Looking at the Irish now, we have certain assets but are not without a couple of weak spots too. In the front row, John Hayes is nicely settled in, and looks to be in contention for a Lions place. Hooker Shane Byrne has played very well for Ireland recently, but has been a disappointment for Leinster in the Heineken cup. Frankie Sheahan is knocking on the door. Byrne might keep his place as the “man in possession”, but he can't afford to slip up. Reggie Corrigan has also been poor for Leinster. Marcus Horan of Munster is a far better all-round footballer, but he is not as strong as Corrigan and does not scrummage as well. Corrigan will just about keep his place. In the line-out, Paul O'Connell and Malcolm O'Kelly are both top-class performers for province and country. Donncha O'Callaghan is pressurising O'Kelly, but the Cork man cannot read a game as well as O'Kelly, and sometimes lets his enthusiasm over-ride his brain. On the flanks, we have an abundance of riches. Simon Easterby, Dennis Leamy, Alan Quinlan, and Johnny O'Connor are all at the peak of their abilities and Eddie O'Sullivan faces something of a selection dilemma here, but it's a dilemma most coaches would love. At the back of the scrum, Anthony Foley regularly gives man-of-the-match performances for Munster. Eric Miller is the other main contender for this position, and had he been playing with a better pack than Leinster's, Miller might have a greater chance of starting.

The combination of Peter Stringer and Ronan O'Gara will not be broken, barring injury. On his day, O'Gara is one of the best out-halves in the game. A significant factor in killing off the O'Gara/Humphries debate was the fact that when O'Gara is in the team, the Irish back line seems to play better. This is no disrespect to Humphries, who is after all a few years older. He remains an able deputy and while O'Gara is first choice, O'Sullivan will not be worried if he needs to introduce the vastly experiences Humphries. At scrum-half, it is less simple. There is a significant gap between Peter Stringer and Guy Easterby, and with all due respect, Ireland will be in trouble if Peter Stringer is not available for all but the most one-sided of games.

Having been somewhat critical of the Leinster forwards, it must be said that their back line is simply outstanding. Denis Hickie and Shane Horgan on the wings, Brian O'Driscoll and Gordan D'Arcy in the centre. All 4 have tremendous pace and technique, and despite the “flashy” reputation of some, they don't shy away from making and taking hard knocks when required. Girvan Dempsey of Leinster is a competent full-back, but it is likely that his place will go to Geordan Murphy who plays his club rugby with Leicester. Despite being unlucky with injuries, Murphy has 26 caps to his name and is very highly regarded in the Zurich Premiership. Capable of playing on either wing if required, his electric acceleration means that he is quite at home in what is one of the fastest back-lines in the world.

So now the difficult part – a prediction.Statistically, England are the best team in the competition. However those statistics are accumulated over time, and inevitably are always a little out of date.Looking at the matches one at a time, I think Ireland will win each game. However, taking the competition as a whole, considering the work rate and attrition involved, it is difficult to imagine any team maintaining the necessary level of intensity. Therefore my prediction is for Ireland to win the Championship but not the Grand Slam.For an outside bet, Wales are threatening to make a breakthrough. With so much attention focussed elsewhere, this might be their year.