Six Nations

How's it going all my rugby readers? As the festive period has been and gone, I've set myself the usual New Year's resolutions....FAIL!

Most of us wake on New Year's day with two things. The first is a hangover of such epic magnitude that the day's biggest achievement is not being sick at the family dinner table.

It is almost that time of year again. January, in rugby's calendar, is the month where everyone is put into the Six Nations blender of anticipation, expectation, hope, fear, nerves €“ you name it, and it has been tossed in for good measure €“ before the lid comes off in February and you are a left a smoothie of emotion as your country sets off on a five-game quest for glory.

It is widely accepted that Charlie Sharples was probably the most unlucky out of the crop of young England hopefuls who were left to watch on from the comfort of their own homes.

Several young stars like Owen Farrell and Chris Robshaw have staked their claims with impressive performances in the Aviva Premiership and Heineken Cup.

The Rugby Football Union is pondering moving one of their 2013 Six Nations clashes away from Twickenham, according to reports.

The introduction of Stuart Lancaster as England's interim coach for the next Six Nations tournament has given a chance to the fringe players to prove their worth along with the younger talent that English rugby has waiting in the wings.

''In the next two or three years we need to be in a position to win the Six Nations'' - Those are the ambitious goals of Jacques Brunel...

March 2008 Warren Gatland steers Wales to a six nations grand slam just months after taking charge of the national side

The spine tingled as the noise belted out of my television and how I wished I hadn't given my tickets away

Scotland's disappointing Six Nations campaign ended on a high as they comfortably beat Italy at Murrayfield to avoid the wooden spoon