The Six Nations kicks off this weekend and iafrica.com could not be more ready for it! Check out our 6N previews during this week starting right here with our look at the Irish team preparing to try and end a 23-year championship drought...

Irish rugby is desperate for success ? so often in the running and yet so often underachieving, it has been a turbulent time for Irish fans.

Without a Championship win since 1985 players like Brian O'Driscoll, Ronan O'Gara and Paul O'Connell have been denied the international glory their careers surely merit. Talented individually, but unable to deliver as a team has far too often been a characteristic of the Irish national side.

Having finished fourth in the Six Nations last year coach Eddie O'Sullivan and the team parted company. It was a disappointing result for the Irish side who had endured two previous season in which they lost out on the crown purely through points difference - on both occasions to the French.

A squad made up largely by players from European giants Munster and Leinster, there is quality a plenty in the side. Young players like Keith Earls and Luke Fitzgerald are only adding to the firepower which already exists in the squad but only time will tell whether head coach Declan Kidney can finally put all the right pieces of the puzzle in place and deliver the crown.

Strengths & Weaknesses: The experienced Munster pair of O?Gara and O'Connell remain two of their countries greatest strengths. O'Connell, a tower of strength, provides massive leadership and experience to the hardened Irish pack while, Mr. Reliable, O'Gara is a steady flow of points and drive for their talented backline.

Tomas O'Leary seems set to remain as Kidney's first choice No.9 and, while he is still developing, he will need to be hugely protected by his pack. As talented a bunch of players as there is in the competition the Irish have just lacked the performance when it mattered and have struggled to build the fortress at Croke Park which they often held at Lansdowne Road for so many years.

Coach & Captain: Kidney is still relatively new to the position of head coach, having taken over less than a year ago, but certainly does not lack experience. Two Heineken Cup trophies during one of his two stints with Munster, Kidney has also served as an Ireland assistant coach and had brief spells with both the Dragons and Leinster.

While his comments recently about the expectations being too high on his side may have left fans a little weary Kidney's selection so far have been relatively well received.

Despite having both O'Connell and O'Gara pushing for the role, Kidney has opted to retain Leinster star Brian O'Driscoll as captain and is clearly looking to try and inspire the No.13 back to his brilliant best.

O'Driscoll has spoken often about his pride in wearing the armband for his country and will be looking to state his case for the job with the Lions in the summer.

Lions to watch: There are a surely a number of certainties for the Lions to come from the Ireland squad, a couple of whom I have already mentioned but outside of the three O's (O'Driscoll, O'Gara and O'Connell) one would expect spots to go to Donncha O'Callaghan, David Wallace, Tommy Bowe, Geordan Murphy and Robert Kearney.

Young Earls and Fitzgerald and a number of others will certainly be in contention but Coach Ian McGeechan will almost certainly be using the Six Nations as a barometer to see who he should take on the trip to South Africa in the summer.

2008 Position: 4th place - 2W 3L - 4pts

Home Venue: Croke Park, Dublin

iafrica.com Prediction: So often the bridesmaid rarely the Bride, Ireland need to put their talent to use this year. With the carrot of a Lions Tour dangling ahead of many of their players expect them to provide a real challenge. Top three finish at the very least.

Ireland Squad:

Backs: Tommy Bowe (Ospreys), Girvan Dempsey (Terenure College - Leinster), Gordon D?Arcy (Lansdowne - Leinster), Keith Earls (Young Munster - Munster), Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College - Leinster), Shane Horgan (Boyne - Leinster), Robert Kearney (UCD - Leinster), Geordan Murphy (Leicester), Brian O'Driscoll (UCD - Leinster), Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution - Munster), Tomas O'Leary (Dolphin - Munster), Peter Stringer (Shannon - Munster), Paddy Wallace (Ballymena - Ulster)
Forwards: Rory Best (Banbridge - Ulster), Tom Court (Malone - Ulster), Stephen Ferris (Dungannon - Ulster), Jerry Flannery (Shannon - Munster), John Hayes (Bruff- Munster), Jamie Heaslip (Naas - Leinster), Marcus Horan (Shannon - Munster), Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution - Munster), Donncha O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution - Munster), Paul O'Connell (Young Munster - Munster), Mick O'Driscoll (Cork Constitution - Munster), Malcolm O?Kelly (St.Mary?s College - Leinster), Alan Quinlan (Shannon - Munster), David Wallace (Garryowen - Munster)

Schedule: