iafrica.com columnist BJ Botha returns with his first column of 2010 this week and takes a look at the Six Nations, Springboks leaving for Europe and those coming back, and picks his winners for the weekend?s action.

There are huge expectations for Ireland going into this season?s Six Nations after they won the tournament last year. It was a successful year for Irish rugby on the whole with Ireland picking up the Grand Slam (for the first time in 61 years) and going unbeaten throughout the year. Irish province Leinster also won the Heineken Cup ? also under the captaincy of Brian O?Driscoll - making 2009 a tough year to beat.

All the teams will need to pick their games up going into the tournament, with Ireland seeking back-to-back wins and having the opportunity to start well against Italy this weekend.

The loss of flank Stephen Ferris is a big blow for Ireland, but they are a side that is growing in depth and building a solid looking pack and a devastating backline. The Italian pack will be their biggest obstacle this weekend, with the Italians known for their strength up front, but there are a number of good young players coming through the Irish ranks to cover their bases.

Best captain or best player?

There has been a lot of debate surrounding Steve Borthwick being retained as England captain, meanwhile, and it begs the question: should the captain be chosen because he is the best in his position or the best leader? Years ago the captaincy always seemed to be passed onto the best player in the team but times have changed since then.

Borthwick commands respect and puts his body on the line every weekend, whether or not he is the best lock in England is debatable, but Martin Johnson has put his trust in him and will expect the team to follow suit.

It will be a tough tournament for England after struggling in the Autumn Tests last year and they seem to be rebuilding coming into the Six Nations.

There is a good blend of youth and experience and I would expect Borthwick to lean on the likes of Simon Shaw and Steve Thompson in the pack and players such as Wilkinson in the backs to keep the young caps together.

Wales, meanwhile, possess one of the strongest centre combinations in the tournament with Tom Shanklin and Jamie Roberts and against England they will no doubt target the perceived defensive frailties there. I would suggest even if Wales were not playing England this weekend, they would still centre a lot of their attack around their midfield combination to give them that go forward ball.

The final game of the weekend will have France travelling to Scotland and I really think this will be a tough battle, particularly up front. I feel the French will have the upper hand in the scrums where the Scots will dominate in the line-out?s.

However I think it will come down to how the backline uses the ball they get from the set-pieces where I feel France has more to turn to if they keep the ball in hand - especially as the Scots are always good at turning pressure into points with the lethal boot of Patterson. If the visitors get off to a good start though they could most definitely be the dark horse for the tournament.

  • On page two, BJ discusses the possibility of overseas-based Springboks returning home in time for the World Cup...