And so it begins!!! The tournament that we anticipate more than any other is finally about to get underway. After the empty stadiums of the past two years, the crowds are back and will add that critical 16th man element to every home team as well as all the color and festive atmosphere the tournament has lacked courtesy of the pandemic. Covid is still likely to throw all the teams the odd curveball throughout the tournament, but with the World Cup only 18 months away and all six teams looking in fine fettle, this is likely to be a tournament to remember for many a year to come.

Ireland and Wales get us underway this Saturday, in wet and blustery conditions at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Ireland are one of the favorites to lift the trophy on March 19th, while defending champions Wales' luck seems to have run out before the tournament has even started. But as everyone knows in recent years this is a tournament, that perhaps with the exception of Italy, the form book seems not to respect. In short, anything can happen on the day and while Ireland look an incredibly daunting prospect especially at home, to write off Wales' before the opening whistle would be not only disrespectful but rather foolish to say the least. Wales got the better of Ireland last year in Cardiff in a hard fought encounter, and despite the conditions on Saturday expect no less in Dublin as both teams have everything to prove.