The 2016 Six Nations promises to be as entertaining and rivalrous as ever. England and France have undergone coaching staff overhauls, which has ultimately led to squad changes and the appointment of new captains. For Rory Best, Guilhem Guirado, and Dylan Hartley (interestingly all hookers), the opportunity to lead out their nations in this prestigious tournament will come with pride and scrutiny too. With France, Italy and England reeling from poor World Cups, and Scotland seeking to consolidate their progress made over the last year, this tournament will not disappoint. For the following five players, the 2016 Six Nations cannot come soon enough.

Jonathan Danty, France

The 23 year-old French centre bulldozed his club side Stade Francais to the Top 14 title in 2015 and has kept up his form going into 2016. In the absence of regular battering ram, Mathieu Bastareaud, Danty has finally received a long overdue call-up to the national side. Weighing in at just shy of 15 stone and at a height of 5”11, on the face of it Danty doesn’t appear to be as powerful as he actually is. He often breaks the first tackle and seems to be at the heart of everything Stade do. Not only that, but he is equipped with good vision and a top drawer passing range. He proved that with a perfect miss pass-assist which put Naiyacalevu clean through to the corner as Stade defeated Leicester Tigers 36-21 this weekend.

Coupled with the world class Wesley Fofana, he could help to lift France out of the doldrums. He will serve as a like-for-like replacement for Bastareaud but with a lot more to his game, and, should he be given a chance by new boss Guy Noves, Danty will certainly be one to watch for the tournament.

Alex Dunbar, Scotland

The dynamic Glaswegian missed the back end of last year’s tournament and the whole World Cup through injury and, yet again, Scotland are waiting for confirmation of a return from his latest injury blight in time for the tournament. He appeared to tweak his hamstring in the 22-5 victory over Racing 92 at the weekend, resulting in him being replaced in the 50th minute. Provided he is fit, Dunbar should regain his place in the side ahead of club mate Peter Horne and Edinburgh’s Matt Scott.

His hard, straight running is reminiscent of a certain Dr. Roberts, and at 25 years of age, Dunbar’s best years are still ahead of him. Furthermore his similarity to Roberts means that he may be favoured by Lions coach-elect Warren Gatland in 2017. This Six Nations is a real opportunity for him to solidify his claim to the famous red jersey.

Luke Fitzgerald, Ireland

Like Dunbar, the 34-cap Ireland utility back has been riddled with injury in recent seasons. Now finally back performing at a consistent level, Fitzgerald has the ability to set this year’s tournament alight. Having always been a fan favourite of the Irish, Fitzgerald has been the victim of his own versatility, often being deployed on the bench rather than starting at 11, 12, or 13. He will likely compete with Jared Payne for the outside centre spot this year, and if selected, should make a strong impact.

Guilhem Guirado, France

The Toulon hooker takes the long-standing captaincy mantle from Thierry Dusautoir and that itself shines the spotlight firmly onto Guirado. It is clear the French are looking ahead to 2019 so it is vital that the French supporters go in with low expectations to this tournament. Noves has got his captaincy choice spot on and if things go pear shaped, which – as seems to be the French way – they will, the fans and players must rally around Guirado.

Having ousted Sebastian Bruno at Toulon, he is now one of the finest hookers in Europe, showing set-piece stability mixed with strong loose work, particularly ball carrying. He was at the heart of the all-conquering Toulon side of 2014/15, while also being a part of the Perpignan side of 2011 which reached the semi-finals of the Heineken cup, and he can be an integral part of a successful France side over the next four years, too.

Maro Itoje, England

What hasn’t been said about this young giant? He plays like a 30 year-old with 70 international caps to his name, yet remarkably he has none. He has undisputed lineout quality, mixed with raw strength at the breakdown and scrum, yet he plays with confidence and level-headedness. If Eddie Jones does not start him for at least three of the five games, it will be both surprising and frustrating.

The Saracens lock/flanker is a future club and national captain without a shadow of a doubt. He has proved his leadership in his fledgling career so far, captaining the Saracens ‘A’ team to a victorious league title in 2015, as well as leading the first team to the LV= Cup in the same year. Unsurprisingly, he then won a regular place in his club side domestically and on the European stage where he has remained ever since. More recently, Itoje won the Aviva Premiership player of the month for December, leaving Jones in no doubt to pick him for the forthcoming Six Nations. A place in the England starting line-up would be a just reward and would cap off a whirlwind twelve months for the 21 year-old.

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