The 2026 Guinness Six Nations begins on Thursday as reigning champions France take on Ireland in Paris.
Former Scotland winger Lewis Dick has laid out his prediction ahead of the tournament he labelled “A wonderful tournament.”
6th place – Wales
“I’m quite emotional about Wales” revealed the former Swansea player.
“Welsh rugby, to me, was magnificent, even before my time. There were wonderful players, and it meant so much to the nation and it’s gone. When I played down there, and It was spiritual. You knew how a rugby match was in the very fibre of the Welsh nation. It was a glorious occasion.
“I know they won Grand Slams under Gatland but it’s almost since the age of professionalism, the demise, it’s grim. I find it so sad. You look at that side now, they haven’t got the old heads, or the experience.
“I think Wales will be bottom of the heap.”
5th place – Italy
In his summary on Gonzalo Quesada’s side, Dick said: “They’ll be vying with Wales for bottom. It’ll definitely be a toss-up, but on paper, I think Italy are a better side (than Wales) to be honest.”
4th place – Ireland
Breaking down why he believes Ireland will fall short of their eighth Six Nations title, Dick said: “Ireland, for a while, were probably the third best side in the world, on the planet. They were that good.”
“But rather than bringing in a cohort of the younger generation, I think he (Andy Farrell) has held on to a lot of the guys who are past their peak, they’re well into their 30s, and they’re carrying injuries and scars of campaigns and all the rest of it.”
3rd place Scotland
Speaking on the country he represented, Dick admitted: “Scotland won’t win because they don’t win. They are the perennial underachievers. They keep looking as though ‘we’re really going to do it this year’ but they tend not to.
“But I think they can beat England. They’ve got them at Murrayfield and they’re not a bad side. England have so often gone up and been beaten. I think they will give them a really hard game.”
2nd place – England
Despite praising Steve Borthwick’s side, the former Scottish winger believes they won’t take home the title despite heading in as favourites.
“If you look at the results, England have won 11 in a row and they’re pretty difficult to beat at Twickenham,” he said.
“They should for many reasons, always be there or thereabouts, but they haven’t been for various reasons. You can’t really see past England. They’d be firm favourites because they’ve got the strength and depth in all positions, they’ve got some great players.
“However, I’m not convinced.”
1st place – France
“I’ve got a few queries about French rugby at the moment, as how they could leave out (Damian) Penaud is just beyond me. But although I say on paper that England should have no real issues at all, they’re two big games are with Scotland in Murrayfield and France over in Paris.
“That’s why I’m backing France.”
