KEY POINTS:
Italy v France
Rome, 2.20am tomorrow
With eight months to go before the Rugby World Cup, France need to open their account with a strong performance to heal the wounds left by back-to-back losses to the All Blacks last November.
A convincing win by the champions would go some way to putting behind them those 47-3 and 23-11 home defeats which ruthlessly undermined their claim to be New Zealand's nearest rivals for the world crown.
French manager Jo Maso has already warned their opponents that his side intend to defend their Six Nations title "tooth and nail".
But the experimental formation chosen by coach Bernard Laporte suggests he feels there is margin for error at the Stadio Flaminio.
His halfback partnership of Stade Francais' David Skrela and Pierre Mignoni raised the most eyebrows.
Skrela has only one previous cap but was selected to stand in for first-choice first five-eighth Frederic Michalak, who will miss the tournament due to a knee injury.
The presence alongside him of Mignoni, who is usually back-up for Dimitri Yachvili, forms the 28th halfback partnership of Laporte's eight-year tenure.
One thing about Laporte's team is certain - it is a physically powerful one, not just in the pack, which is fronted by Bourgoin's enormous prop Olivier Milloud, but also at the back, where Skrela lines up alongside the imposing centre pairing of Florian Fritz and Yannick Jauzion.
How Italy coach Pierre Berbizier must wish he had Laporte's embarrassment of riches.
"I've never seen so many things placed at the team's disposal," said Berbizier, who coached France from 1991 to 1995. "Having the resources is one thing. What you do with them is another."
His starting line-up closely resembles the one that began last season's tournament, with the only real change coming in the first five-eighth position where Andrea Scanavacca replaces Ramiro Pez.
England v Scotland
Twickenham 4.50am tomorrow
In the two months since defeat by South Africa plunged England into the depths of despair, the world champions have somehow managed to generate a wave of confidence.
The team to play Scotland show 11 changes from that which slumped to an eighth defeat in nine matches last November and led to the departure of coach Andy Robinson.
But it is not the number but the nature of new coach Brian Ashton's changes that has infused England's long-suffering fans with a belief that they could, after all, put up some sort of creditable defence of their world title this year.
Confidence-lifter-in-chief is Jonny Wilkinson, back for his first appearance since the 2003 World Cup final and claiming to be a better player despite injuries that have limited the first five-eighth to a handful of matches.
Outside him is Andy Farrell, another to have come through an injury nightmare and preparing for his first cap, 18 months after switching from league.
The former Wigan and Great Britain captain has undoubted power and can break the firmest of tackles and, if he dovetails well with Wilkinson and the returning Mike Tindall outside him, then England's long quest for a successor to Will Greenwood could be over.
"I am excited by where this team could get to," said Ashton this week.
Scotland's 18-12 victory over England at Murrayfield last year ensures that the visitors will be accorded due respect but there seems little chance of a first win in London since 1983.
The Scots, who also beat France and Italy last season, are without the mighty presence of captain Jason White while several other first-choice names are absent, injured or considered fit enough only for bench duty.
Halfback Chris Cusiter has recovered from a shoulder injury ahead of schedule and starts inside Dan Parks but it is an inexperienced-looking team who will need to find something special to end their Twickenham drought.
Wales v Ireland
Cardiff 3.50am Monday
Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll admits his side will put their best chance of winning a Grand Slam in 59 years on the line on Monday.
O'Driscoll leads an Ireland team furiously playing down expectations of wining the title but well aware that the Millennium Stadium could prove the gateway to an historic campaign.
Two years ago it was the Welsh who stunned the rest of the championship with a scintillating brand of rugby that brought them a first Grand Slam for 27 years, but this time Ireland believe it is their turn after waiting since 1948.
"This is as good a chance as I can remember to win the Grand Slam," O'Driscoll said. "We might be favourites but it's just a tag and we mustn't shy away from it."
Ireland are at full-strength bar the loss of Leinster wing Shane Horgan.
Eddie O'Sullivan's team virtually picks itself these days though he had the luxury of dropping Girvan Dempsey for Andrew Trimble.
Simon Easterby was preferred to Rory Best in the back row and charged with harassing his Llanelli teammates, Wales halves Dwayne Peel and Stephen Jones.
Wales have lost a raft of household names, as well as up-and-coming talent.
Injuries to Shane Williams, Tom Shanklin, Sonny Parker and Mark Jones have blunted their attack while the loss of Gareth Thomas to a four-week ban sent Wales coach Gareth Jenkins' plans into disarray.
Despite the absence of former captain Thomas, Jenkins has still left Gavin Henson out of his matchday 22.
Jenkins believes the showbusiness hype surrounding Henson is affecting the player's game.
"My concerns about Gavin are based on the pressures surrounding him and the press is one of them," Jenkins said.
"He hasn't got a moment when he isn't being scrutinised."
"He is not good enough to be in this team. He is one of 33 players around me in this squad and he will be treated like everyone else in terms of selection criteria."
- REUTERS
