RBS Six Nations: The 6 top players to look out for in this year’s tournament

Europe’s top Test sides start a whole new cycle with this year’s RBS 6 Nations, with some eyes already looking ahead to Rugby World Cup 2019.

We examine six players with the potential to light up the northern hemisphere’s premier Test tournament.

Scotland: Greig Laidlaw

Position: Scrum-half
Club: Gloucester
Age: 30
Caps: 46
Height: 1.76m (5ft 9ins)
Weight: 80kg (12st 8lb)

A goal kicker and playmaker able to boss a match in the best of Gallic traditions, without losing any of his gritty Scottish roots.

As heartbroken as anyone at Scotland’s last-gasp and controversial 35-34 defeat to Australia in the World Cup quarter-final, Scotland’s captain has proved central to taskmaster coach Vern Cotter’s wide-ranging overhaul, and will spearhead his side’s hopes once again.

England: Maro Itoje

Position: Lock/back-row
Club: Saracens
Age: 21
Caps: 0
Height: 1.95m (6ft 5ins)
Weight: 110kg (17st 4lbs)

Future England captain material, though he is yet to win a Test cap – and he will have to wait a little longer after he was a surprise omission from new coach Eddie Jones’s first match-day squad.

The politics student was hugely unfortunate to miss the final cut for England’s World Cup party but has ploughed on undeterred in top form at Saracens and is still in line to cut his teeth against Italy.

Jones was quick to summon the gritty, smart-thinking back-five forward and the London native ought to launch his international career in style, whenever his chance comes.

Ireland: Stuart McCloskey

Position: Centre
Province: Ulster
Age: 23
Caps: 0
Height: 1.91m (6ft 3ins)
Weight: 109kg (17st 1lb)

Ulster’s battering-ram centre has jumped from unknown raw talent to serious Test match contender in less than three years.

A schoolboy football and golf star, he turned his hand to midfield domination after a late growth spurt.

Now the free-running centre could be primed to add an extra dimension to Ireland’s midfield.

Wales: Dan Biggar

Position: Fly-half
Region: Ospreys
Age: 26
Caps: 39
Height: 1.85m (6ft 1ins)
Weight: 94kg (14st 11lbs)

The globe chuckled at Biggar’s tick-filled kicking routine at the start of the World Cup, but no one was laughing by the tournament’s close.

Not even a bevy of YouTube videos of his ‘Biggarena’ goal-kicking approach could embarrass a man by that point well and truly into his pinpoint groove.

Wales came within a whisker of the World Cup semi-finals, with Biggar central to that charge. Now the Ospreys fly-half will again seek to pull the strings for Warren Gatland’s settled side.

France: Gael Fickou

Position: Centre
Club: Toulouse
Age: 24
Caps: 15
Height: 1.90m (6ft 3ins)
Weight: 99kg (15st 8lbs)

Toulouse’s hugely gifted centre was criminally unable to impose his fleet-footed talents on France’s stoic and turgid game under former coach Philippe Saint-Andre.

Saint-Andre has gone, though, and in his place France have parachuted Guy Noves, the man who made Toulouse Europe’s most-feared club – and also discovered Fickou.

Noves has nailed his free-flowing colours to the mast by overlooking Toulon battering-ram Mathieu Bastareaud and Fickou could yet become the chief beneficiary.

Italy: Sergio Parisse

Position: Number eight
Club: Stade Francais
Age: 32
Caps: 114
Height: 1.96m (6ft 5ins)
Weight: 112kg (17st 8lbs)

No matter how much Italy look to the future, the Azzurri simply cannot do without Parisse’s timeless class.

In a squad boasting 10 uncapped rookies, the Stade Francais number eight remains the top story. Injury travails robbed the World Cup of Parisse at anything even approaching his best.

Italy – and the Six Nations itself – will be a poorer product given any repeat.//