Six Nations 2018 Preview

England may be the favourites for the Six Nations, but could this be the year of a long-awaited Scottish triumph?

February is one of the most exciting times of the year for rugby fans, as it brings the start of the Six Nations tournament. This year's edition will be as eagerly awaited as ever.

Holding the trophy, and seeking an unprecedented hat-trick of outright championships, are England, a team that has - bar one match in Dublin - swept all before it since Eddie Jones took over. The visit of the All Blacks to Twickenham might be their acid test as the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan starts to loom on the horizon, but there is no doubt bragging rights in the northern hemisphere count for a great deal. The question is whether anyone can stop them.

On the face of it, there is every reason to expect an England triumph. True, only two of their five matches are at home, but one of these is against Ireland and they will anticipate rolling over the men in green at home.

England's greatest strength is the depth of their squad. This was demonstrated against Australia in the autumn internationals, when a tight affair that looked destined to be settled by hairline refereeing decisions suddenly morphed into a 30-6 rout as the injection of quality from the 'finishers' on the bench crushed the Wallabies. Jonathan Joseph, Jonny May and Danny Care all scored late tries as this surge of extra power and energy put fresh impetus into the wheels of the England juggernaut.

As well as depth, the squad has supreme quality with players like Maro Itoje and Owen Farrell among the very best in the world, and nobody can neglect the influence of Jones.

Even so, Ireland will still feel they have a chance. A visit to Twickenham might be a tall order, but England will be challenged in Paris and face a very tough Calcutta Cup match against a resurgent Scotland at Murrayfield.

With three home games coming up and quality players in their side like Johnny Sexton and the flying winger Jacob Stockdale, Joe Schmidt's side must have a chance. Their own strength in depth is such that even quality players like Simon Zebo cannot get a look-in.

Above all, the fact that they have beaten every other top side in the past years - both New Zealand and England had record runs of 18 successive wins ended by Ireland - means they simply cannot be ruled out.

Tipping an Irish side that ended last year's tournament with a win over England to do well is a no-brainer, but the really exciting element this year is Scotland. In recent years, they have struggled, often vying for the wooden spoon with Italy. Now, however, a side has emerged with genuine pace and dynamism, one that can truly challenge.

In the autumn, they ran the All Blacks close and thrashed Australia, demonstrating the quality of real contenders. Jeremy Guscott used his BBC Sport column to mark them down as the team to watch, and this week, captain John Barclay told the Guardian: "There is expectation on us after the autumn and that is exciting."

All that may leave France and Wales hoping to spring a surprise, while Italy will wonder if they can win a game. But even if none of that trio can overachieve, this could still be a superb championship.