Foreshadow for the Six Nations?

Conner

Ok, I know that we are only four games into the Magner's league, but I really want to point something out. If one looks at the standings most of the Irish teams are in the top of the table, and all of the welsh are in the bottom or lower middle of the table. While the scottish teams are scattered. This could only mean one thing, Ireland will have a sweet six nations this year. Not wanting to forget that Edinburgh leads the league right now, we may see Scotland finish higher than second to last this coming year. As for Wales, with the unofficial, official retirement of Gavin Henson, Wales will be lacking a great weapon. Plus it looks like welsh players just can't pull it together consistently. As this has been a problem for years, it is even worse this year than it has been for a few years. Right now it is looking like England and Ireland will be one of the top performers, as always. And Wales may struggle just trying to not get the wooden spoon. It is also a given that the French team will perform well because they are never short of any talent. So this coming year the teams to watch for the first time in a long time are the Scottish. Best of luck to Chris Paterson, he will be one of the breakout players to watch out for.

Magners League Weekend to Prove Something

This is it. This weekend looks to be the weekend to stamp authority on the season. Cardiff hosts the Scarlets, who have played well so far (if not above expectations) an Cardiff needs a win this weekend or face a deeper hole of 0-4. It is no exaggeration to say that either team could win, but Cardiff needs the win more than the Scarlets. Cardiff should be able to squeak out a win at home.

Glasgow hosts the Ospreys, another team in need of a win. There is so much expectation from this team, and they consistently fail to prove their worth. With the quality of players on their team, they constantly come up short. They are rugby's version of the New York Yankees. Tons of money, lots of talent and often coming up short. That said, they should also be able to pull out a win.

Connacht v. Ulster. Connacht has a knack for winning in Galway, but Ulster just came off a big win too. For me, this is actually the toughest game to predict because Connacht is so often unpredictable, but I can't see them having two big wins in a row. Ulster.

Munster hosts the Dragons this weekend in what looks to be a sure-fire win for Munster. They have played well enough so far this year, and had a last minute win against the Scarlets last week in Llanelli. They should be 3-1 next weekend.

The biggest game of the weekend is between leaders Edinburgh and Leinster. Leinster is enjoying some very good play from Shane Horgan and Girvan Dempsey in the opening weeks, but is going to need something else to top the soaring Edinburgh team. Edinburgh will be the home team, and Leinster has struggled against them in recent years. I think that Edinburgh will win the game unless Leinster manage to get two scores on them.

~Tyler

The Blues?

Cardiff Blues. 0-3? Far and away, Cardiff is the best Welsh region. Granted, their Lions players are not in the squad yet, but they should have at least one victory on the board. On the other side of the Magners League table is Edinburgh, who is 3-0. No one would have predicted Edinburgh to start off the season as the number one team, even with the best goalkicker in Chris Paterson.

Munster pulled off a fantastic late-game try to beat the Scarlets, although neither team took charge. Munster had two yellow cards and committed about a dozen penalties in as many minutes. Had it not been for an off-target Rhys Priestland, Munster could have lost. On the same note, Jeremy Manning had a bad day with the boot as well, missing an extremely easy conversion as well as a few penalties.

The Tri-Nations has come to a close completely now, which means that all focus will be on the Northern Hemisphere's leagues. In the French Top 14, Jonny Wilkinson has been receiving praise for weeks since his new return to top flight rugby, even from Freddie Michalak. Despite Danny Cipriani's recent show of skill in the Guinness Premiership and the push for only domestically based players to play for England, Wilkinson is almost guaranteed a spot on the roster for England this fall. Even if he doesn't start, he should be on the list.

The Heineken Cup is around the corner, and if Edinburgh can keep up their fantastic form, we may see a somewhat unfamiliar face on the leaderboards: the Scottish.

~Tyler

The first weeks

Congrats to South Africa, outright winners of the 2009 Tri-Nations title! They were the hot team coming into the tournament and showed why they deserve the title of World Champions. South Africa is the international team to beat and should keep that title for the time being.

In the Home Nations, the season is starting to take shape. The early season lineup swapping should be easing down as players stamp their names for the season.

Ireland cannot hope to top this past season's glory. A Grand Slam, Six Nations title, Heineken Cup and Magner's League championship all came into Irish hands. At best, they could match it. The only title not in Irish hands that could have ended that way was the European Challenge Cup, a prize that only Connacht was competing for.

England's Guinness Premiership looks to be another good year, with the two big powerhouses of Leicester and London Wasps leading the way. London Irish will be very good this year, and I will be pleasantly surprised to see Mike Catt take the field. He is not on the official team website, but I would bet big money on seeing him pull on the jersey at least a couple of times this season, even if only as a stop-gap. He has proven invaluable with Irish so far. The Saracens pulled off an early season upset over the Irish, and the recent turbulent times for them may not have the lasting impact previously predicted. Nonetheless, the top three teams will remain Irish, Wasps and Leicester. If Cipriani remains healthy, my prediction is another Wasps championship.

As for the Magner's League, it will be the tightest contest yet. That may sound like an easy prediction to make, but I assure you it is not. Munster is just as strong as they were last season, despite Tipoki and Puccarellio leaving, amongst others. Leinster is definitely weaker, if one can say that, with the losses of Whitaker, Elsom and Contepomi. Sexton will gladly take the chance to prove his worth at fly half, but Contepomi is not replaceable. The two Scottish teams will be very good this year, and may even supply a team for the playoffs that have been added. The Welsh teams will struggle this year. Cardiff will play well and Llanelli can always sneak a win, but the Dragons are always bottom feeders and the Ospreys never seem to live up to their potential. Jerry Collins may be the changing factor for the Ospreys, but one man does not make the team. My earliest season prediction on the Magner's League is that Leinster will take the Magner's League in a dramatic final at the new Aviva Stadium (formerly Lansdowne Road).

~Tyler

Magner's League, Guinness Premiership and the closing weeks of the Tri-Nations

Well, the Springboks are not invincible. But the fact of the matter is that the All Blacks and Wallabies will not win the Tri-Nations. Australia has been very good, but mainly in the opening sequences. The first time that they have turned the game around was against South Africa last weekend, but Australia has had a bad run of luck against the All Blacks, despite the quick starts they had so far this season.

The All Blacks can still win the Tri-Nations, but they will not do it. They would have to demolish the Aussies and then soundly beat the Springboks, who are playing at the top of their game. Despite the return of on-form Dan Carter, its the Springboks' championship to lose.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the season has stared. Finally. The only downside to the opening weeks is the second string teams that take the fields. Munster, reigning Magner's League Champs, fell to Glasgow. Leinster fell to the Scarlets. Both teams were missing their Lions players, and many of their internationals as well. The good news for Leinster is that Girvan Dempsey was fantastic. Or, until his eye met a Scarlet's knee.

More to follow.