ENGLAND

COACH: Martin Johnson

After a baptism of fire in November, Johnson enters his first RBS 6 Nations Championship in charge and England cannot afford to test the public's faith any longer. Johnson may be short of experienced bodies but he needs results.

STAR PLAYER: Delon Armitage

England's find of the autumn. Armitage was fast-tracked into the side and made the step up well, particularly in defence and under the high ball. England need to exploit his attacking qualities more during the Six Nations.

STRENGTHS: Back three - England have a wealth of options out wide but they must utilise them. Given the ball Armitage, Mark Cueto and Paul Sackey have pace and power in attack.

WEAKNESSES: Forwards - It seems incredible but England's cauliflower-eared brigade are struggling. The traditional red rose scrummaging dominance has been neutralised since the World Cup. They lost key balls against the head to both Australia and New Zealand in November.

WALES

COACH: Warren Gatland

Gatland oversaw Wales' transformation from World Cup deadbeats to Grand Slam champions in a matter of months. The pressure is on Gatland to break Wales' traditional boom-and-bust cycle and deliver more success.

STAR PLAYER: Mike Phillips

Shane Williams enjoyed an extraordinary year and his tries carried Wales to the 2008 title. But there is huge anticipation that 2009 will be the year Phillips, the tall, powerful scrum-half, takes the world by storm.

STRENGTHS: Defence - Wales are a lethal, instinctive attacking side but their 2008 title campaign was founded on a brave and physical defence which was drilled by Shaun Edwards and conceded just two tries in five Tests. With that foundation the likes of Shane Williams can make hay.

WEAKNESSES: Lineout - Alun Wyn-Jones is a magnificent footballer and Ian Gough a committed competitor but as a unit the Welsh lineout is not as effective as the others.

SCOTLAND

COACH: Frank Hadden

If 2008 was a year of missed opportunities - a poor Six Nations and narrow defeats to South Africa and New Zealand - Hadden views 2009 as a major opportunity for Scotland to show their potential.

STAR PLAYER: Nathan Hines

Scotland are developing a pack to compete with any in the Six Nations and Hines is a key component. A major lineout force and destructive runner, Hines has also developed a neat offload during his time in Perpignan.

STRENGTHS: Scrum - Scotland have one of the most powerful packs in the competition and boast at least four potential Lions tourists in the shape of prop Euan Murray, hooker Ross Ford, lock Nathan Hines and flanker John Barclay.

WEAKNESSES: Fly-half - Phil Godman claimed the Scotland 10 jersey in the summer because he is a more creative option than Dan Parks. Hadden must decide what kind of game he wants to play but neither sets the world alight.

IRELAND

COACH: Declan Kidney

Kidney replaced Eddie O'Sullivan following Ireland's disappointing campaigns in the World Cup and Six Nations. Kidney has led Munster to two Heineken Cup triumphs and he has some exciting young talent to work with.

STAR PLAYER: David Wallace

Wallace has been the most consistent player in Irish rugby this season and can be effective anywhere across the back row. A strong Six Nations would see him nail down a place in the Lions squad.

STRENGTHS: Half backs - Ronan O'Gara is an astute playmaker and a top-class kicker while Tomas O'Leary has been pulling up trees at scrum-half for Munster this season

WEAKNESSES: Consistency - Ireland have been capable of winning the Six Nations every year since 2005 but they have under-performed, eventually costing O'Sullivan his job. Big-name players are prone to go missing at key times. Ireland need to develop a steeliness.

FRANCE

COACH: Marc Lievremont

The maverick coach is under increasing pressure after 12 months of experimentation and unconvincing performances in last year's Six Nations and the November internationals.

STAR PLAYER: Thierry Dusautoir

Dusautoir exploded onto the scene in the 2007 World Cup and lived up to a reputation for being one of the most dynamic flankers in the game by being named in the Midi Olympique team of 2008. Primed to cause more havoc from the French back row in the Six Nations.

STRENGTHS: Back three - Lievremont seems set to pick Toulouse's Maxime Metard at full-back, leaving France with a lethal selection of wing options in the shape of Cedric Heymans, Aurelien Rougerie, Julien Malzieu and Vincent Clerc.

WEAKNESSES: Fly-half - France may be blessed with brilliant attacking talent but do they have leadership at fly-half to set it free? Much depends on the out-of-form Francois Trinh-Duc.

ITALY

COACH: Nick Mallett

Nick Mallett guided South Africa on a record run of 17 victories and won two French titles at Stade Francais. He accepted the challenge of unlocking Italy's potential but the first year was tough with just two wins from 10.

STAR PLAYER: Mirco Bergamasco

One of Italy's box office stars, the versatile Stade Francais back formed a potent centre partnership with Gonzalo Canale before being switched to the wing in the autumn.

STRENGTHS: Forwards - The Azzurri back row is dynamic with the energetic Mauro Bergamasco on the openside and Parisse at number eight. Marco Bortolami can be dominant in the second row while Martin Castrogiovanni is one of the Guinness Premiership's leading props.

WEAKNESSES: Fly-half - The stand-off position has been a major issue for Italy. Mallett seems to have ended the experiment of playing Andrea Masi out of position. Treviso's Andrea Marcato is promising but he has much to prove.

Who is your tip for the title? Have your say.

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