Shane Williams: Wales can challenge but Ireland are my tip

I’m confident Wales can challenge for the Six Nations title. Rob Howley did well in November to get three wins on the board, but he’ll know his team didn’t play anywhere near the level they can.
When I look at this squad, I’m excited by what I see. For a long time Wales have had a settled side, but Rob’s selection gamble means the experienced spine of their team is now complemented by a number of exciting new players.
The performances in November resulted in Wales receiving lots of criticism, but one thing we know when looking at the past is that the team doesn’t have to play well before a Six Nations campaign to be successful.
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In my time as a player we won a Grand Slam in 2005 after a very poor year in 2004 and in 2008 we did it again after being knocked out of the World Cup by Fiji in 2007. I’m not sure why that’s the case, but it’s an indication you can’t write Wales off based on their form in the previous six months or so.
I’m hoping history can repeat itself because when you look at Wales, they still retain some of the most dangerous players in Northern Hemisphere rugby. In some ways, too, the pressure is off. They can go under the radar a little bit because of England and Ireland’s recent results. The squad won’t be worrying about that in camp, but it could be to their benefit.
Looking at this year’s Six Nations overall, I think we’re likely to have the most competitive and entertaining Championship for a long time.
Every team boasts a good squad and to have little between the sides is hugely exciting – it can only be a good thing for everyone involved including players, coaches and supporters.
England’s performances under Eddie Jones mean they must be considered favourites, but Ireland aren’t far behind. If they can replicate the sort of display that saw them beat New Zealand, they’ll go very close to winning the title.
They’re at the top of their game and will take some stopping.
Hopefully, Wales can kick off their tournament in style against Italy. The first game is always the most important and Italy are a tough nut to crack. They’re a potential banana skin for Wales in their first game.
I’m convinced the introduction of bonus points will have an impact on this year’s title, so in some ways it would have been better for Wales to play Italy towards the end of the Championship. They’ve done that in the last few seasons, and scored a lot of points.
They’ll really need a bonus-point win in Rome and that would give them a perfect start, but what I don’t want to see is Wales running the ball straight away.
Italy have some dangerous backs, have nothing to lose and in guys like Michele Campagnaro and Carlo Canna, they have threats who can exploit any mistakes.
While I’m slightly concerned about Wales’ trip to Rome, on a personal basis I’m looking forward to seeing a number of players light up the tournament. One of the guys I can’t wait to see is Stuart Hogg.
He’s been playing very well for Scotland for a long time, but now he’s part of an even better side he could go to the next level. He’s been a key man in Glasgow‘s impressive run in Europe and it’s a big year for all the full-backs. There are Leigh Halfpenny, Mike Brown and Rob Kearney and Hogg will certainly be competing with them for a starting spot with the Lions.
One thing I really like about Hogg, is his attitude. He’s always willing to take the ball to the line and is never afraid of taking on his man in defence. That is the sort of confidence the Lions will need in New Zealand, and he’ll have a big impact on whether Scotland are successful.
Elsewhere, I expect George Ford and Owen Farrell to have big tournaments with England again but, like the full-back position, I think scrum-half is another hugely competitive area. Rhys Webb, below, Ben Youngs, Conor Murray and Greg Laidlaw are all competing for the Lions’ nine jersey and there are a lot of other contenders, too.
It all points to a hugely exciting tournament and while I can see Wales pushing England and Ireland hard, I think the winner will be decided in the final game in Dublin.
In a decider between those two I wouldn’t bet against Joe Schmidt‘s side, and they’re the ones I’m tipping for the title.