It could be that having seen six of my eight tips progress to the quarter final stage of the Heineken Cup that I’m getting the knack of this prediction game, although self-praise is no recommendation, but to be honest it’s all I get.

And so feeling a little smug, I now turn my attention to the Six Nations.

You would have thought that judging the outcome of a tournament involving just half a dozen sides would be a piece of cake, although should I follow my instinct and sense of national duty and tip Wales there is always the possibility I will be eating humble pie.

I am, however, encouraged by two facts. Principally, the online bookmaker to whom I occasionally donate some cash, see it this way:

Wales at 9/4
France & Ireland at 7/2
England at 4/1
Scotland at 16/1
Italy at 94/1.

At Parc y Scarlets on Saturday not one person I interviewed forScrum V expected anything other than a repeat of last year's triumph.

Not much of a shock you might think, but the interviewees were not just the passionately devoted grassroots supporters that I usually canvass, there were also some heavyweight rugby names amongst my contributors including Derek Quinnell, Anton Oliver and Eddie O’Sullivan.

It could be that it suits every nation to have Wales inserted as favourites, the suggestion being that they will collapse under the attention and pressure and allow another side to emerge, but it is more than just psychology that puts Wales in a strong position.

Back in 2005 when Wales won the Grand Slam, former England and Lions coach Dick Best famously warned against selecting too many of that Welsh squad for the upcoming Lions Tour, stating that our success had been “built on sand”.

We didn’t like it, but he was right, ours was a victory of style over substance.

Guided by our latest “Great Redeemer” Warren Gatland, the current Welsh squad have laid strong foundations to their game.

Wales are equipped with the tools for the job of international rugby, and The autumn series confirmed that.

We beat Australia, should have beaten South Africa, and although we did not look like beating New Zealand we made them break sweat.

Whilst it’s true that no team in Europe can claim to match the might of the “Big Three” it doesn’t mean that there will not be tough examinations ahead.

Scotland are described by many as a work in progress. In soccer terms you might compare them to those teams from behind the former “Iron Curtain” as being technically efficient, which is a nice way of saying they are dull.

They may lack a cutting edge but they possess a good line-out and are stubborn on the gain line, a combination which was more than enough to flummox Wales at Murrayfield two years ago.

If any nation can appreciate how it can all go horribly wrong and then suddenly start to go right again it’s Wales.

It’s tempting to trot out some old guff about England being “wounded animals”, and that we should beware of them, and so we should, but no more so than any other team in the tournament.

During their heyday I was often reminded by my English friends that no Welshman would get into the England team.

They were probably right, and yet that situation is close to being reversed.

With the exception of James Haskell, Danny Cipriani and perhaps Danny Care there is little of genuine quality on the England side of the bridge.

The pressure being heaped onto Cipriani to deliver miracles would be laughable if we hadn’t seen the same misguided burden piled on to so many Welsh outside-halves.

Cipriani’s inability to pull rabbits out of hats is less a reflection of his worth and more a symptom of England’s real problem, the fact that their pack no longer boss the tackle and the gain line.

Having gorged for a decade on the performances provided by some of the finest back and second rowers ever to play the game, the English fans are on something of a crash diet.

If the bookies are to be believed the Championship will be decided in Paris on a Friday night.

This scheduling has led to harsh criticism of the organisers, although as a fan I think I prefer the idea of a Friday night match to one on a Sunday afternoon, but that will not make the challenge any easier.

It is impossible to dream up an original way of describing the French and their unpredictability, and so I don’t think I’ll bother. Furthermore, suggesting that this is the match Wales are most likely to lose hardly makes me the Nostradamus
of “egg chasing”, but nor does it make defeat any less probable.

Victory in Paris has been achieved fairly regularly by Wales in recent years, and should we pull it off again then we will come under the influence of that most irresistible force, momentum.

Like every other team in the tournament Wales should prove too much for an Italian side, who are unlikely to deliver the goods until they find some half-backs, to capitalise on their dogged forward play.

If all goes to plan, the season will culminate in another showdown with an Ireland side so full of talent and dog they are long overdue a Grand Slam themselves.

Perhaps Declan Kidney, an architect of Munster success, is the man who can turn finally turn green into gold?

And so it seems it is written in the stars that Wales will triumph, but is that how it will really play out?

In all honesty, I doubt it.

Back-to-back Grand Slams are rare, to win 10 consecutive matches in the best annual competition in the rugby world is a huge feat, and if this Welsh side achieve it they will rightfully take their place amongst the greats.

Either way it will be as it always is, a gripping drama played out with a passion that unites our cultures. It is utterly magnificent and I can for one can’t wait. Bring it on.

Can I also take this opportunity to invite you to join me in the “Fanscene” commentary box, as we cover the progress of the Welsh U20’s on the Friday evenings throughout the tournament.

If you would like to get involved and are not put off the prospect of having to sit with me for a couple of hours then Click here to find out more.