We are another day closer to the start of the 2019 Six Nations, meaning it's nearly time for Ronan O'Gara - now an assistant coach at the Crusaders - to board the long flight from Christchurch to Dublin. And O'Gara, who will be working as a television pundit during the tournament, returns to Ireland confident his former side can defend their Championship crown, he said: "I think they're fixed better than ever. One statistic jumped out at me, and that was that the Irish teams have won 17, drawn one and lost one of 19 games against English clubs in the last two seasons in the Heineken Cup. That's a staggering statistic. . . Sometimes we presume that now is the norm. It isn't the norm." However O'Gara is wary of the threat posed by England in Dublin on Saturday - and especially from another outhalf, Owen Farrell: "I think he's a great player and a great competitor. I could see them winning a World Cup with Farrell at 10. That's how strongly I regard him as a player." Meanwhile in his column this morning Gerry Thornley has warned that the Six Nations must not lose out in a new 'World League'. This follows a meeting in Los Angeles yesterday which outlined proposals to bring the Autumn Internationals, summer tours, the Six Nations and the Rugby Championship together into one annual league. "The Six Nations is a stand-alone success story because it is, well, a stand-alone tournament," he writes.
Ahead of Friday night's opener between France and Wales in Paris, John O'Sullivan has picked out six players to keep an eye on throughout the tournament - including Ireland's John Cooney and England's mighty winger Joe Cokanasiga. Meanwhile England are the second team to be analysed in our daily Six Nations profiles - you can read that HERE.
Elsewhere the draw for the fifth round of the FA Cup was made last night, and Manchester United will travel to play holders Chelsea in a repeat of last season's final. Manchester City meanwhile will play the winners of Newport County and Middlesbrough, with ties to be played on the weekend of Friday February 15th. Despite his side's tricky draw, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is confident United can end the season with silverware: "We've got the Champions League, we've got the FA Cup, we can't just say top four and that's it," he said. "We've got to look at: 'Can we win something this year?'" There are six Premier League fixtures tonight, with City travelling to play Newcastle and Burnley travelling to Old Trafford.
And Roy Keane was confirmed as assistant manager of Nottingham Forest yesterday, renewing his Ireland relationship with Martin O'Neill. Keane joined Forest from Cobh Ramblers in 1990 and went on to make 154 appearances for the club before leaving for Manchester United. On his appointment, he said: "I am happy to be back. I am looking forward to it, it is a big challenge and I am ready for it. Obviously, I had great memories of my career here as a player, the club gave me my chance and I will always remember them for that."
