Eddie Butler tips Wales to retain their Six Nations title in his blog for The Guardian.
"After the launch of the Six Nations, with the polite expressions of cautious optimism in the pleasant setting of the Hurlingham Club, west London, came the first rattling of the sabre – the announcement of the teams for this weekend's opening round. A play before the play: who could spring the greatest surprise, or would any long-shot selection be a sign of desperation even before a ball had been kicked?
"The Italy coach Nick Mallett won the pre-match hands down. He might have been forced, through injury to Pablo Canavosio, Simone Piccone and Pietro Travagli, to announce something unusual at scrum-half, but by putting his best wing-forward into the No9 shirt he vaulted straight into the extraordinary. Especially since he had said beforehand that however interesting it might appear as a theoretical experiment, there was no way he could contemplate switching Mauro Bergamasco to half-back for the Six Nations. Who did he then pick? For a South African, Mallett makes a marvellous Italian.
"So, at Twickenham we'll have a brother Armitage (Steffon) harassing a brother Bergamasco (Mauro), who will be trying to drop kicks – there may lie the weak spot in his game – on the other bro Armitage (Delon), while the other Bergamasco (Mirco) tears up from centre. Fratelli d'Italia."
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