Six Nations: Five things to look out for as tournament kicks off 

There may be some familiar names missing, and no games in Paris, but there is so much to look forward to as the northern hemisphere’s finest lock horns again.

France head coach Fabien Galthié at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille. Picture: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

France, but not as we know it

Les Bleus will play home games away from Paris for the first time in the championship: against Ireland in Marseille, Italy in Lille on 25 February and England in Lyon on March 16, the final weekend. Spreading the rugby word outside capital cities is surely A Good Thing – France’s move is necessitated by construction work taking place at Stade de France to prepare the venue for the Olympic Games this summer, and the French Rugby Federation’s bottom line will take a hit, but perhaps Fabien Galthié’s team will be glad to swerve the scene of their World Cup elimination. The same may be said for Ireland, who also bowed out in Paris on that memorable quarter-final weekend.