Ireland and France, the top two in the world, are expected to dominate the race for the Six Nations title

The form guide leaves little doubt that Ireland and France should be the dominant forces in this year’s Guinness Six Nations Championship.

With England back at the helm under new head coach Steve Borthwick and Wales with Warren Gatland, all the signs are that the leading teams will be back in charge in 2022.

While they meet early in the tournament – on February 11 at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium – it’s a match that will likely shape the fate of the competition’s title.

France will be firmly in the mix for a successful Six Nations title defense (Adam Davy/PA)

World no.

Reigning Six Nations champions France last year won all of their ten Tests, which began with them achieving their first Six Nations Grand Slam since 2010 and ended with victories over the Springboks and Wallabies in two memorable encounters.

With the World Cup taking place on French soil in less than eight months, Les Bleus have a unique opportunity to cement their credentials as leading contenders in the global rugby union spectacle.

France have never been world champions – three-time runners-up are results that carry weight – while Ireland have never progressed beyond the quarter-finals.

However, the latest World Rugby rankings see Ireland top and France second, with Les Bleus a whopping 6.35 points behind closest European team England.

And while rugby is played on grass, not paper, those numbers don’t lie, suggesting their Six Nations rivals are catching up.

England will contest a Six Nations without Australian Eddie Jones at the helm for the first time since 2015.

Jones was sacked last month after a miserable Autumn Nations Series, with former England captain Borthwick being recruited from Leicester, where he took the club from Gallagher Premiership contenders to champions in two years.

Whether he can achieve similar success in the Test arena remains to be seen, but there is an optimism among England fans that is unlikely to have been felt since the 2019 World Cup final.

The story goes on

Borthwick has already made an impression in terms of selection, calling up uncapped players like wingers Ollie Hassell-Collins and Cadan Murley, while also making big decisions by leaving out players like Billy Vunipola, Jonny May and Jack Nowell has.

Home games against Scotland and Italy should get off to a good start, but then England’s level of difficulty increases sharply, culminating in encounters with France and Ireland in the last two weekends.

Gatland, on the other hand, enjoyed sustained success during his previous tenure as Welsh manager between 2008 and 2019, with four Six Nations titles, three Grand Slams and two World Cup semi-finals being impressive highlights.

However, he is returning after Wales won just three Tests under Wayne Pivac last year and a series of defeats included disheartening home defeats to Italy and Georgia.

Gatland undoubtedly have the touch of Midas and there is no doubt Wales’ chances of a tough opener against Ireland in Cardiff on 4 February have dwindled since his arrival, but a title challenge would certainly be a tall order.

Scotland will try to beat England again (Jane Barlow/PA)

Consistency will be key for Gregor Townsend’s Scotland, with England at Twickenham followed by Wales in Edinburgh.

They are unbeaten in their last two trips to south-west London and a successful defense of the Calcutta Cup would cause an instant stir, but Scotland still tend to excite and frustrate in equal measure.

As for Italy, despite the emergence of a world-class talent in Ange Capuozzo, it’s hard to imagine they won’t prop up the Six Nations table for the 18th time in 24 Six Nations seasons and in eighth place.