Anticipation, continuity, momentum

The eve of the championship. Whichever sport is your passion, the coming of a new season is a heady mix of emotions.

The RBS 6 Nations is no exception, even in the wake of a World Cup and the slipstream of a particularly exhilarating Heineken Cup pool campaign, and with the renewal of near-ancient rivalries comes that marvellous sense of anticipation, the resurfacing of creeping doubts and that intangible optimism that only sports fans can muster, even in the darkest hour.

That hope can quickly disappear, of course. It may take merely the opening blast of the referee’s whistle and an easily avoidable knock-on for golden dreams to fade into dismal reality but come next Monday morning there will be at least three sets of supporters, players and coaches reassessing their team’s merits and realigning expectations.