10 Burning Questions Ahead of the 2015 Six Nations

As is often the case in the buildup to the Six Nations, this year's tournament has a plethora of questions lying in wait of answers.

Ireland came into the contest as very arguably the best side in the northern hemisphere, but can they aim for another title? Will Italy finish anywhere but last? Who will Stuart Lancaster use in his problematic centre position?

All that and more is discussed in depth ahead, as we barrel through 10 of the most intriguing topics poised to receive reply during the 2015 competition.

1. Are Wales Capable of Regaining Title-Worthy Quality?

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One bad year isn't a life sentence for any elite nation, but Welsh fans sit in an anxious state as they wonder whether or not Warren Gatland's side are prepared to make another run at the Six Nations trophy.

In 2014, Sam Warburton led the team to wins over Italy, France and Scotland, ultimately finishing third in the table, which was far from terrible by any means. 

However, managing to win just two of their six games since then—beating Fiji and South Africa in November—there's understandably cause for concern.

What was clearer than ever during the autumn international series is consistency is an issue for the Welsh, where a failure to threaten sides with running rugby at times could afflict their tournament chances.

At first glance, England and Ireland still outgun Gatland's bastions, but having won back-to-back Six Nations titles in 2012 and 2013, is this the year of the dragon?

2. Is Robbie Henshaw the No. 13 Joe Schmidt Hopes Him to Be?

The road to succeeding Brian O'Driscoll is already well underway for Robbie Henshaw, who performed admirably against South Africa and Australia during the November series several months ago.

But heading into his first Six Nations tournament, there's greater pressure than ever on the Connacht centre to perform. Ireland come in as defending champions, and the need to establish momentum ahead of this year's World Cup is grave.

With 2015 presenting such a great challenge, Henshaw heads into what will surely be a career-shaping year—at least as far as his international days are concerned—which is a lot to bear at the age of 21.

The Irish Independent has reported the playmaker is back in training after recently returning from injury, giving head coach Joe Schmidt a boost ahead of the Six Nations kickoff.

A competition opener in Italy could serve as the ideal pace setter for Henshaw in the No. 13 jersey, but it will be of great interest to see if faith in his stardom is as confident come the Week 5 clash against Scotland.

3. Will Vern Cotter's Scotland Break Barriers?

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Many supporters will feel pleased with the work that Vern Cotter has thus far undertaken in his eight months in charge of Scotland, breathing a sense of self-belief into a team that's struggled for it at times.

Predecessor Scott Johnson contributed his own edge to the national team, who have now avoided the bottom-place finish for two years in succession, but their targets will be higher under Cotter.

At Clermont Auvergne, the New Zealander proved his tactical nous was substantial, and he's so far been effective in giving existing players new expectations and confidence in what they can achieve.

Losing just two of the seven games in which he's been in charge of the side—against South Africa and New Zealand—his record is already encouraging, with Europe's elite now in sight.

With the very best of Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh, along with a sprinkling of Premiership and Top 14 talent, Cotter isn't afraid of upsetting people in his selections or choices made with personnel.

Under him, we can expect the team to hold genuine hopes of taking the fight to the likes of Ireland, France, Wales and England, with the only question remaining as to how they'll perform under the new boss' regime.

4. Can England Solve Their Midfield Conundrum?

Every England fan will have set in their mind who should line up in the No. 12 and 13 jerseys against Wales come February 6, but Stuart Lancaster's decision is the only one that matters.

It's well-chronicled that without the injured Manu Tuilagi, there's a lack of established star talent in the England midfield, with Jonathan Joseph the latest in-form icon to come into the fray as an experiment.

Last year it was the duo of Billy Twelvetrees and Luther Burrell, which started off brightly enough, but 12 months on and Lancaster still has a fairly vague idea of who his best choices are at centre.

Brad Barritt comes in as a secure option, but is too safe for some, while Bath's Kyle Eastmond could be great, but also showed the risk in his selection on last year's tour of New Zealand, where defence was a weakness at times.

The best-case scenario for England would be to witness the emergence of a set-in-stone midfield pair for the years—or at least months—to come, but the fact is this side is constantly in a state of waiting for Tuilagi.

5. Will France Time Their Pre-World Cup Momentum to Perfection?

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Despite making the final of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, France's chances of repeating the feat now look slim, and Philippe Saint-Andre's side are far from favourites to win the Six Nations.

Les Bleus can never be discounted altogether, but after finishing among the Six Nations' bottom three for the last three tournaments in succession, severe improvement is needed.

Rugby is often a waiting game, though, and unless a side boasts a timeless consistency the likes of which New Zealand and South Africa do, international teams often go through periods of strength and weakness.

For France, recent years have been an example of the latter through transition, but with the 2015 Rugby World Cup now just eight months away, can Saint-Andre's men make a surge in time to contend?

Les Bleus showed some encouraging form in unearthing a wealth of new talent during the autumn series, but the Six Nations will be a true testament as to whether this side can gather pace ahead of the World Cup.

6. Are There Any Higher Expectations Than an Azzurri Wooden Spoon?

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Italy have finished bottom in five of the last seven Six Nations tournaments, winning the competition's Wooden Spoon on nine occasions in total, more than every other nation combined (Scotland four, Wales one and France one).

Jacques Brunel's team actually finished as high as third just two years ago, 2013 being the same year Azzurri talisman Sergio Parisse was nominated for IRB Player of the Year.

However, no longer can the Italians rely as heavily on their 31-year-old captain, a figure who undoubtedly grows weary of shouldering such grand responsibility in the annual contest.

It's a question that always blights Italy at the Six Nations: Can they avoid the title of "Worst in Show"?

Veterans and budding starlets alike are among Brunel's ranks, but in terms of truly world-class players, Parisse very arguably sits alone. Will he be enough to peel the side back from a sixth-place finish? Only the team will know.

7. Can Ireland Claim the Grand Slam?

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In terms of what Joe Schmidt could have expected during his first 18 months at the team's helm, Ireland have responded terrifically under the new coach and developed immensely in that time.

Upon Declan Kidney's departure from the position in 2013, Ireland had just finished fifth in the Six Nations and were bidding farewell to Ronan O'Gara, firmly set for a state of transition.

The question wasn't "if," but "how long" it would take the team to bounce back. Fast forward to 2015 and the recovery is well and truly underway, with Ireland arguably the strongest team in the northern hemisphere and among the favourites to retain their Six Nations title.

Were it not for an extremely close defeat at Twickenham, 2014 may well have been the year that gave Schmidt the ideal start to life as a Six Nations coach, albeit winning the tournament was dream-like in itself.

With 12 more months experience to his name and a more settled squad under his command, Schmidt is now seeking bigger scalps ahead of the World Cup buildup.

Fortunately, two of Ireland's toughest fixtures will be in Dublin, with France and England travelling to the Aviva in Weeks 2 and 3, respectively. The title is theirs at present, but fans may well expect a far more incisive form of domination in 2015.

8. Is Gareth Anscombe the Long-Term Heir to Wales' No. 10 Throne?

Wales' fly-half spot has been a centre of heated debate for several years now, with Dan Biggar and Rhys Priestland answering the No. 10 call with mixed success.

However, in former New Zealand under-20 and Chiefs recruit Gareth Anscombe, the nation has reason to be excited by a player who could potentially hold down the jersey as his own for years to come.

Barry John of Wales Online recently predicted that before this year's Six Nations is over, Anscombe will not only make his international debut, but prove his worth as a star of the team.

Moreover, head coach and fellow Kiwi Gatland recently lifted the lid on his year-long project to establish Anscombe—who qualifies for Wales through his Cardiff-born mother—as a talisman in his setup, per ESPN Scrum: 

"

I met with him [Anscombe] with his dad [Mark Anscombe—former Ulster coach] a bit longer than 12 months ago. With his mother born in Cardiff we knew he was an option for Wales and the discussion was a very general one about the options he has to play for Wales but there is no pressure from us in terms of his declaration and if you want to go back and continue playing Super Rugby and have those dreams of playing for the All Blacks then I didn't have a problem with that.

He went back and had another year at the Chiefs and probably looked at some of the players who were ahead of him. A couple of years ago him and Beauden Barrett were the two 10s for the Under-20s and Beauden has gone on to get the opportunities and Gareth thought for him to fulfil his dreams of playing international rugby then the best opportunity for him was to come to the Blues and make himself available for Wales both in the short and hopefully long-term.

"

His time in the Pro12 with the Blues is still in its infancy, but Anscombe has quickly pegged himself out as a versatile asset, as Gatland goes on to attest, boasting that X-factor that Wales have lacked in the role.

It's yet to be seen whether Gatland will put his trust in the 23-year-old from the beginning, but in Anscombe, Wales have the opportunity to light up their back line once again.

9. Will Les Bleus Prosper from Their Foreign Policy?

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It's been a transformation some years in the making, but France's burgeoning group of foreign-drafted stars is finally taking shape within the squad.

The Top 14 promotes foreign acquisitions at the club level as fiercely as any other division and, in kind, Les Bleus are now taking on a much more diverse make-up.

Rory Kockott and Scott Spedding are among those born abroad to have already impressed, while Fiji's Noa Nakaitaci and New Zealand-born former Samoa under-20 Uini Atonio are also taking more prominent roles.

It's a topic of great controversy in rugby, completely dependent on a national team's selection policy and how routine it's considered to draft players from other nations based on heritage and citizenship.

Like it or loathe it, France are making full use of the links they can to assemble a stronger squad. The question now is whether or not such policy is really for the greater good and if Saint-Andre can prove its benefits.

10. Will George Ford Cement His Spot as England's New No. 10?

It was a pleasing conundrum for Lancaster to have on his hands when choosing between two fly-halves as talented as George Ford and Owen Farrell, but ESPN Scrum reported on Tuesday that the latter will miss the whole Six Nations with a knee injury.

With Danny Cipriani and Stephen Myler presumably outsiders in contention for the No. 10 spot, cover is no longer of the world-class standard it was with Farrell fit.

It's a chance for Ford to come into his own. During the November Tests, he pounced on those opportunities he had to impress as the starting fly-half and now threatens to nestle further into Lancaster's setup through Farrell's absence.

In leading Bath to the quarter-finals of the European Rugby Champions Cup, the 21-year-old has proven he can cope with pressure, not to mention doing so in wins over Samoa and Australia this past autumn.

Farrell will rue his misfortune, but Ford now has a chance to see to it that he takes a substantial edge in the England squad ahead of this year's World Cup, but the Six Nations will be a trying platform on which to prove it.