The consensus is that there is no consensus on this year's Six Nations. Ireland are most people's favourites for the title, based on their wins over Australia and South Africa in November, but will they do the Grand Slam? And what comes next? The great news for the bluffers is that confident cases can be made for each of France, England and Wales to finish second, third or fourth.
But you'll still need a bit of flesh to put on the bones. Here, PA Sport, has put together a bar-stool guide:
IRELAND
COLOURS: Emerald green and white.
STADIUM: Croke Park.
ODDS: 6-4 favourites.
PREDICTION: Champions.
If Ireland recreate their autumn form they should be good enough to edge a very close championship.
COACH: Eddie O'Sullivan.
He has achieved three second-place finishes, including last year, and rebuilt Irish fortunes after they blew a title chance in 2005.
CAPTAIN: Brian O'Driscoll.
Giving the captaincy to the best player does not always work - see Andrew Flintoff - but O'Driscoll is an inspirational leader for Ireland. He deserves a Six Nations title.
KEY MAN: Ronan O'Gara.
Brilliant for Munster, O'Gara had never quite dominated the Test stage in the same manner - until last November. Munster's Heineken Cup victory has given him a real injection of confidence.
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY:
Ireland last won the Grand Slam in 1948. They finished second on points difference to France last season but are set to overturn that this year.
DID YOU KNOW?
In a culturally significant move, Ireland will play their home games at the 82,500-capacity Croke Park as Lansdowne Road is rebuilt. Croke Park is the HQ of the Gaelic Athletic Association, which had previously banned ``foreign'' sports from the stadium.
ENGLAND
COLOURS: White and red.
STADIUM: Twickenham.
ODDS: 9-2.
PREDICTION: Second.
England, rejuvenated under new coach Brian Ashton and captain Phil Vickery, will be something of an exciting but unknown quantity. Three home games is an advantage.
COACH: Brian Ashton.
England averaged 50 points a game in the 2001 Six Nations when Ashton was in charge of the backs. He rejoined England in the summer and was appointed head coach after Andy Robinson was sacked in November.
CAPTAIN: Phil Vickery.
Vickery was Ashton's first choice to lead England through to the World Cup. He missed a year of rugby after undergoing a third back operation but his return to the front row is key for England.
KEY MAN: Andy Farrell.
A leftfield selection perhaps, but the former GB rugby league captain is set to answer England's problem position of inside centre. In a new-look team his famed leadership qualities will be invaluable.
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY:
England are the most successful side with 25 outright titles, including 12 Grand Slams. But since the 2003 Grand Slam they have finished third, fourth and fourth.
DID YOU KNOW?
Brian Ashton spent a year as head coach of Ireland between 1997-98.
FRANCE
COLOURS: Blue and white.
STADIUM: Stade de France
ODDS: 15-8.
PREDICTION: Third.
France remain too inconsistent. They won the 2006 title after losing to Scotland. But they were then awful in successive autumn defeats to New Zealand. Could finish fourth as easily as first.
COACH: Bernard Laporte.
Laporte is under huge pressure to win the World Cup on home soil. A curious character, he has delivered championships and Grand Slams but never really won over the French support.
CAPTAIN: Fabien Pelous.
The uncompromising Toulouse lock became only the fifth player in history to win more than 100 caps. He was appointed as Laporte's first captain and was awarded the honour again when Fabian Galthie retired in 2004.
KEY MAN: Damien Traille
An international class centre, Traille is being used as a makeshift fly-half because Frederik Michalak is injured. He struggled to adapt in the autumn and his form will be vital to the French championship hopes.
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY:
France won their 15th Five/Six Nations title last season on points difference from Ireland. They would love to nail a ninth Grand Slam in the year they host the World Cup.
DID YOU KNOW?
When Bernard Laporte took over in 1999 he was the first full-time professional coach of France.
WALES
COLOURS: Red and white
STADIUM: Millennium Stadium
ODDS: 9-2
PREDICTION: Fourth place.
Again, fourth seems harsh on Wales. An opening win over Ireland could even see them pushing for the title. But they face three straight away games and would need a repeat of the stunning 2005 win in Paris.
COACH: Gareth Jenkins.
Jenkins was appointed after Mike Ruddock's sudden departure midway through the 2006 Six Nations. He is Wales' most esteemed coach, having led Llanelli to numerous honours and was on the 2005 Lions staff.
CAPTAIN: Stephen Jones.
Jenkins' first move was to switch the captaincy from Gareth Thomas to Stephen Jones. The Llanelli fly-half is second only to Neil Jenkins on Wales' all-time points scoring list.
KEY MAN: Ryan Jones.
The Ospreys star is hitting his best form again after missing last year with a shoulder injury. Jones' powerful ball-running keeps Wales on the front foot, which allows their dangerous back division to fire.
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY:
Wales dominated the 1970s, winning six Triple Crowns, five titles and three Grand Slams. They claimed the Grand Slam again in 2005 but managed only one win last season.
DID YOU KNOW?
Gareth Jenkins played in Llanelli's famous 9-3 win over New Zealand in 1972 - and then took the next week off work at the steel plant to celebrate!
SCOTLAND
COLOURS: Navy blue and white.
STADIUM: Murrayfield
ODDS: 25-1
PREDICTION: Fifth place.
Scotland made great strides last season with home wins over France and England. But they face a tougher campaign this year without injured captain Jason White.
COACH: Frank Hadden
The former Edinburgh enjoyed immediate success in his first Six Nations campaign last year. He has instilled a belief in his players that they can match the ``tremendous tradition we have in Scotland for over-achieving''.
CAPTAIN: Chris Paterson
Appointed captain after White was ruled out with knee ligament damage. He can play fly-half and wing but is most effective at full-back and scored 57 of Scotland's 78 points last year.
KEY MAN: Simon Taylor
The Edinburgh star was voted the number eight of last year's Six Nations. He is a world class talent but his career has been hindered by frustrating injuries.
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY:
Won the last-ever Five Nations title in 1999. Matched their best Six Nations performance with third-place finish last season.
DID YOU KNOW?
Scrum-half Rory Lawson is the son of former Scotland international Alan Lawson and grandson of legendary commentator Bill McLaren.
ITALY
COLOURS: Blue.
STADIUM: Stadio Flaminio
ODDS: 150-1.
PREDICTION: Sixth place.
Italy are determined and claiming the odd scalp is not beyond them. But their resources are limited and one-off results will not make them a force in the Six Nations.
COACH: Pierre Berbizier
France's most-capped scrum-half took over from John Kirwan after the 2004 Six Nations. He coached France for three years and steered Les Bleus to the 1993 Five Nations title.
CAPTAIN: Marco Bortolami.
At the age of 22, Bortolami became the youngest man to captain Italy. The Gloucester lock is one of the Azzurri's true world class players.
KEY MAN: Mirco Bergamasco.
The Stade Francais centre was voted into the 2006 Six Nations dream team. He scored three tries in five matches and forms a potent partnership with Gonzalo Canale.
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: Joined the championship in 2000 but have won only three matches - against Scotland (2000, 2004) and Wales (2003). They drew with Wales in Cardiff last year.
DID YOU KNOW?
Italy played their first international in 1929 against Spain in Barcelona. They lost 9-0.