WHO WILL BE KING IN THE NORTH?

THE festive period is over, the days are depressingly short and the cold and rain have you wondering why you want to get out of bed in the morning.

- By PAUL EDDISON

Thankfully, February brings with it the most reliable fillip in sport - the Guinness Six Nations - and 2026 has the makings of an all-time tournament.

England are emerging as a force the likes of which we have not seen since the early years of the Eddie Jones era, with a potential Anglo-French title battle that is more reminiscent of the 1990s.

Under Steve Borthwick, England finished 2025 with 11 successive victories, including a first win over New Zealand in six years, a hat-trick of victories against Argentina including a 2-0 series triumph away to Los Pumas even without their British & Irish Lions, and a sense that they have depth the envy of every team outside South Africa.

That will be tested with a few notable absences, including Lions tighthead Will Stuart, but England enter the tournament as genuine title contenders, probably for the first time under Borthwick.

Their biggest obstacle could be France, the reigning champions who set a new record for tries scored in a single edition last year.

Fabien Galthié's response to a middling November has been to leave out a trio of all-time greats in Damian Penaud, Gaël Fickou and Grégory Alldritt, his two most recent captains and the country's record try-scorer.

Still, France being France, he has plenty more talent upon which to call and the return of Antoine Dupont, the competition's biggest star, who could set a new mark for Player of the Championship awards if he plays at the level we know he can.

The fact France and England could meet playing for the title on the final day is tantalising.

Such is the unpredictability of the tournament that any chat of a Grand Slam decider is exceptionally premature, but it is at the very least a possibility.

And we have not had two teams going for a clean sweep on the final day since the heady days of 2003 when England overwhelmed Ireland in Dublin.