Six Nations Preview

Who will emerge victorious in the 2016 Six Nations?

The 2016 Six Nations Championship kicks off this weekend as England begin life under Eddie Jones and Ireland target a third successive title.

There is rebuilding in England as Jones starts his tenure with Dylan Hartley as captain, hoping the appointment of the Northampton hooker will bring 'an edge' to the side.

Defending champions Ireland begin a new era without talisman Paul O'Connell and with injuries in key positions, while Wales look to have the most settled squad, a stark contrast to their injury-ravaged World Cup. Scotland will look to build on their positive World Cup campaign and avoid another Wooden Spoon, which looks destined for Italy due to their lengthy injury list. 

We take a closer look at each nation as we preview the 2016 Six Nations, and get the thoughts of Will Greenwood.

England

Eddie Jones will take no risks when he names his side to face Scotland, says Will Greenwood

Eddie Jones will be looking to get his tenure as England head coach off to a flying start as they seek just their second Six Nations title since winning the World Cup in 2003.

With English clubs flying high in Europe and contributing five of the eight quarter-finalists in the Champions Cup, can the feel-good factor be transferred on to the pitch and the early World Cup exit be put to bed?

England preview

France

France's strength will be the size of their tight five, says Will Greenwood

The only way is up for Les Bleus following the abysmal four-year reign of Philippe Saint-Andre. 

France have failed to finish higher than fourth in the last four Six Nations and it remains to be seen whether Guy Noves can lift them out of their slump.

France preview

Ireland

Will Greenwood calls for Jared Payne to start at full-back ahead of Rob Kearney

Ireland are vying to become the first team to win three successive Six Nations titles but they face a daunting start to life without Paul O'Connell. 

Joe Schmidt's side host Wales on the opening weekend before trips to France and England. They have a poor record against the latter in post-World Cup years, losing heavily in 2008 and 2012.

Peter O'Mahony and Iain Henderson miss the entire tournament through injury and Ireland also have concerns in the front row. Marty Moore is ruled out with a hamstring tear, while Mike Ross and Cian Healy have not played since December.

Ireland preview

Italy

Will Greenwood says Italy are put under pressure by the absence of a reliable goal kicker

Another basement battle beckons as Jacques Brunel heads into his final Six Nations in charge.

The Azzurri have not progressed under Brunel's stewardship and flopped yet again at the World Cup. With an ageing squad and a lengthy injury list, they remain as far away as ever from competing for the championship.

Italy preview

Scotland

Will Greenwood says the Gray brothers and WP Nel offer Scotland a solid platform

Could Scotland be the dark horses of this year's Six Nations?

Vern Cotter's men came agonisingly close to a World Cup semi-final before falling to a dubious penalty in the dying seconds against Australia. It was a thriller, if one that left Scotland cheerless, but the evidence is undeniable - Cotter has forged a team of real substance.

Scotland preview

Wales

Shaun Edwards will have Wales snarling in defence, says Will Greenwood

Wales have recovered from their World Cup injury blitz and enter the Six Nations with the competition's most settled squad.

Warren Gatland's men were part of the final day title hunt last year before losing out on points difference at the end of an afternoon that saw Ireland crowned champions.

Wales' World Cup was blighted by a spate of injuries before South Africa knocked his side out in the quarter-finals but Wales have been bolstered by the return of those players.

Wales preview

Pastor Maldonado leaves Renault and F1

Pastor Maldonado has lost his Renault seat

Pastor Maldonado has confirmed he will not be in Formula 1 for the 2016 season.

The South American was scheduled to drive for the rebadged Renault team in the upcoming campaign but has lost his seat after his sponsors fell behind on payments.

Maldonado's principal backers, the Venezuelan state-owned oil company PDVSA, are believed to have paid around £20m annually for the 30-year-old's seat. However, the country's economy has collapsed in recent weeks amid falling oil prices. "Today with the utmost humility I inform you that I will not be present at the starting grid for the 2016 F1 season," Maldonado confirmed in a message to his Twitter followers. "Thanks for all your messages of support, passion and concern for my future. I feel very honoured with the support of all of you and proud of my professional performance."

Renault, who announced that Maldonadowould be staying on for 2016 four months ago, are yet to comment. But the team will hold a media launch event on Wednesday in Paris in which they are expected to confirm that Kevin Magussen, who left McLaren in December, will partner rookie Jolyon Palmer for the new season.

Backmarkers Manor are the only other team yet to confirm the identity of their 2016 driver line-up.

However, Maldonado has ruled himself out of filling a vacancy at the backmarkers, bringing down the curtain on a five-year F1 career which has been defined by controversy and collisions. Prior to leaving the Williams team for Lotus two years ago, he accused the Grove outfit of sabotaging his car ahead of the 2013 US GP and, unable to shrug off the tag of being a 'pay driver', a website was launched to keep a timetable of his many crashes.

Pastor's craziest F1 moments

But was Maldonado always to blame in 2015?

"Whatever you think of rights or wrongs of his time in F1, Pastor was a race winner and a nice guy," commented Sky F1'sDavid Croft.

Despite winning the 2012 Spanish GP and displaying impressive flashes of speed, Maldonado struggled alongside Romain Grosjean following his transfer to Lotus. In 2015, he only out-qualified Grosjean twice - the worst such tally of any driver on the grid - and scored half as many points as the Frenchman.

Renault's launch ceremony will be streamed live on Sky Sports' Digital platforms on Wednesday with the team set to unveil their new car and livery as well as Maldonado's replacement.

In 95 races, Maldonado won once but finished in the points just 14 times

Who's where in 2016
Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg

Ferrari: Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen

Williams: Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa

Red Bull: Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat

Force India: Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez

Lotus/Renault: Jolyon Palmer and TBC

Toro Rosso:  Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz

Sauber: Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson

McLaren: Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button

Haas: Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrezy

Football Paper Talks

Paper Talk

• National
• Regional

• Pep Guardiola will be given a huge transfer war chest this summer with Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba and Everton centre-back John Stones at the top of his £130m shopping list.
• Kelechi Iheanacho is set to be added to Manchester City's Champions League squad in place of the injured Samir Nasri.

• Pep Guardiola has vowed not to raid current club Bayern Munich when he takes over as Manchester City boss in the summer but they will make an offer for £75m-rated striker Robert Lewandowski if Real Madrid kick off a bidding war.
• Yaya Toure is ready to quit City in the wake of Guardiola's appointment - he was ditched by the Spaniard when they were previously together at Barcelona.
• Gary Cahill has no plans on following John Terry out of Chelsea after 'clear the air' talks with boss Guus Hiddink over a lack of Premier League playing time.

• Manchester City could make an audacious move for Lionel Messi in the summer, perhaps spending as much as £120m to bring the Argentina superstar to the Etihad.
• Radamel Falcao could still cut short his Chelsea loan stay despite missing out on a return to Atletico Madrid before the deadline. He is being linked with a move to Chinese club Jiangsu Suning, who recently signed Ramires.
• John Terry could also be heading for China, where a possible £20m could be on offer for just one season - several clubs are already said to be interested.

• John Terry's next footballing destination could be the Middle East, with former Chelsea team-mate Gianfranco Zola having sounded out the 35-year-old about joining the club he manages, Qatar's Al-Arabi.
• Rickie Lambert has admitted he is no longer good enough for West Brom's first-team, less than two years after playing in the World Cup for England.
• Tomas Rosicky is poised to leave Arsenal this summer and the thigh injury he suffered on his return against Burnley could be the last time he pulls on a Gunners shirt.

• Luke Shaw is set to give Manchester United a fitness boost and return to action in March.

• Pep Guardiola will target Thiago Alcantara, Ilkay Gundogan and Aymeric Laporte in his first summer as Manchester City manager.
• Marcel Desailly believes Chelsea will eventually offer John Terry a new contract.

• Manchester City's appointment of Pep Guardiola has left rivals United needing to decide whether to make a move for former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho before he is snapped up by another club.
• Oxford United boss Michael Appleton has rejected the chance to join Manchester United as part of their academy overhaul - Appleton began his playing career with the club.

GUARDIAN

• Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho could be on new Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola's summer shopping list.

• Mark Warburton was delighted to sign Michael O'Halloran from St Johnstone on Deadline Day, but the Rangers manager's top target could be followed by six more high-profile signings in the summer.

top 10 transfer deals

Chelsea's Ramires is heading to China

Here are the top 10 transfers involving Premier League clubs - including big deadline day buys by Stoke and Everton…

1. Ramires (Chelsea to Jiangsu Suning, £25m)

Ramires joined former Premier League stars Paulinho, Gervinho and Demba Ba in the cash-rich Chinese Super League as Chelsea agreed a whopping £25m deal to sell the midfielder to Jiangsu Suning. Ramires was one of the Blues' longest-serving players, but he had fallen down the pecking order under Guus Hiddink and the offer was too good for Chelsea to turn down.

2. Giannelli Imbula (Porto to Stoke, £18.3m)

Stoke broke their club record transfer fee to bring Porto midfielder Giannelli Imbula to the Britannia Stadium on deadline day. The 23-year-old is seen as a replacement for Steven N'Zonzi, who left for Sevilla in the summer. The former France U21 international - who boss Mark Hughes praised for his power, ability on the ball and range of passing - had been tracked by Stoke since their pre-season friendly against Porto last summer.

3. Oumar Niasse (Lokomotiv Moscow to Everton, £13.5m)

Oumar Niasse completed a deadline day move to Everton

Everton were big spenders on transfer deadline day, splashing £13.5m on Lokomotiv forward Oumar Niasse. The 25-year-old Senegal international has scored 13 goals in 23 appearances for the Russian club so far this season and manager Roberto Martinez is confident his new signing can repeat that return in the Premier League.

4. Andros Townsend (Tottenham to Newcastle, £12m)

Andros Townsend was a £12m arrival at Newcastle

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy drove a typically hard bargain on Townsend but after weeks of negotiations, Newcastle finally got their man for £12m. The winger is hoping to kick-start his career at St James' Park having fallen out of favour in north London - and with Euro 2016 just around the corner, he's aiming to catch Roy Hodgson's eye, too.

5. Jonjo Shelvey (Swansea to Newcastle, £12m)

Jonjo Shelvey has swapped Swansea for Newcastle

Newcastle's deal for Townsend came two weeks after the arrival of Shelvey from Swansea for the same price. The former Charlton and Liverpool midfielder was forced to defend his reputation after leaving the Welsh club in difficult circumstances, but he impressed on his debut for Newcastle in a 2-1 win over West Ham. Like Townsend, Shelvey is aiming to put himself back in the England frame.

6. Benik Afobe (Wolves to Bournemouth, £10m)

Benik Afobe has made an impressive start at Bournemouth

Only four players scored more goals than Afobe in 2015 and his tally of 22 was enough to convince Bournemouth to make him their club record signing. The Arsenal youth product has already begun repaying Eddie Howe's faith, with two goals in his first three games helping the Cherries move away from the relegation zone. If he continues in the same vein, the £10m fee will look like a snip.

7. Wahbi Khazri (Bordeaux to Sunderland, £9m)

Wahbi Khazri is now a Sunderland player

Sunderland's biggest deal of the transfer window saw Tunisian attacking midfielder Khazri arrive at the Stadium of Light from Bordeaux for £9m. The 24-year-old scored five goals and claimed seven assists in his last 20 league games for the French side, and Sam Allardyce was impressed by his pace, delivery and goalscoring potential.

8. Alberto Paloschi (Chievo to Swansea, £8m)

Alberto Paloschi was snapped up by Swansea

One of new Swansea manager Francesco Guidolin's first actions at the Liberty Stadium was to request the signing of his countryman Paloschi. Guidolin worked with the former Italy U21 striker for two seasons at Parma, and the Swans paid £8m to take him from Serie A outfit Chievo.

9. Steven Naismith (Everton to Norwich, £8m)

Steven Naismith scored on his Norwich debut against Liverpool

Norwich have also splashed the cash, with Naismith snapped up from Everton to boost their survival chances. The experienced 29-year-old scored 25 goals in 123 appearances during his time at Goodison Park, and he made an instant impact at Carrow Road with a man-of-the-match performance in the Canaries' dramatic 5-4 defeat to Liverpool.

10. Timm Klose (Wolfsburg to Norwich, £7.6m)

Timm Klose has joined Norwich from Wolfsburg

Norwich have strengthened in defence with Switzerland international centre-back Klose arriving from Bundesliga club Wolfsburg. "As a player, he's got good technical ability and he's solid in the air," said Alex Neil. "It was always a dream to play in the Premier League and Norwich have given me a big chance," added Klose. "Now I want to give everything I can to be a good player in this league."

Giannelli Imbula became Stoke's record signing 

Thierry Henry on Guardiola's move to Man City

Thierry Henry discusses Pep Guardiola's upcoming move to Manchester City

Manchester City will have a great chance of winning the Champions League under Pep Guardiola, according to Sky Sportspundit Thierry Henry.

City have confirmed that Bayern Munich coach Guardiola will succeed current boss Manuel Pellegrini when the Chilean's contract expires this summer.

Henry, who played under Guardiola during his time at Barcelona, thinks the 45-year-old will bring the same type of success to the Etihad as he did during his four years in charge of his hometown club. 

Guardiola has won 19 trophies during his career

And that means Guardiola helping to guide City to success in the Champions League, a tournament which they have struggled to make an impact in during recent seasons. In contrast Guardiola, who will join City on a three-year deal, won Europe's premier club competition on two occasions while manager of Barcelona.

"People always said it was an easy job at Barcelona, it wasn't an easy job at Barcelona, trust me," Henry told Sky Sports News HQ.

"After my first season [the season before Guardiola took charge], it was very difficult, the fans were really unhappy because we did not win everything.

Guardiola's stats compared to current Man City boss Manuel Pellegrini's

"But he was from there and people were patient with him. But I can assure you that what he brought was outstanding. Now to compare the two teams - he is going to come to a team that can play already with players that have won stuff with experience.

"So it's pretty similar. The thing that I hope he can do if Man City does not win the Champions League this year, I think in the three years they will be very close to winning it."

Pep Guardiola will be the guy who can attract any player in the world that wants to be coached by him

Thierry Henry

Guardiola will not be afraid to give youth a chance when he takes over at City, as he did at both the Nou Camp and more recently the Allianz Arena, says Henry.

"At my time at Barca, he put on the field through the ranks of the youth team the likes of Pedro and [Sergio] Busquets. Bojan was already there, also Jeffren - and I am not going to name all of them as it is a long list," said the former Arsenal and Barca forward.

Guardiola's league record as a manager

"He did the same with Bayern Munich and I would like to think that obviously he is going to bring some big names, because he has the resources.

"But he is not scared of bringing young talent through, whether they are in the academy or young talent in Europe that will not be a big deal of money, like Kingsley Coman, who is now at Bayern Munich."

Thierry Henry played under Guardiola during their time together at Barcelona

However, as well as handing youngsters opportunities in the first team, Guardiola will also look to attract some of Europe's finest players to City over the next few years.

"Obviously if you are a Man City fan right now, you can dream about having some great players," Henry said.

"Not only because it is a great club and you have the resources, but Pep Guardiola will be the guy who can attract any player in the world that wants to be coached by him."

Guardiola has won everything as a manager

Guardiola's appointment at City, though, has only served to increase the pressure on their rivals at Old Trafford, and in particular Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal, according to Henry.

"They already have, historically, a great man in charge and Van Gaal is still there," he said.

"Now if they decide to go for someone, is Jose Mourinho going to be the answer? Laurent Blanc could also be a good shout as he is doing ever so well at Paris Saint-Germain and he played there and the fans loved him there, and still love him.

Guardiola's appointment 'puts a bit of pressure on Manchester United'

"And what about Ryan Giggs? He has been on the bench and waiting for his opportunity to come, and why not?

"But Van Gaal is still there and that puts a bit of pressure on Manchester United seeing that Pep Guardiola goes to Manchester City. But you have to be careful who you take, as we know with Van Gaal, sometimes big names do not guarantee you success right from the very start."j