Wasps came out on top in the first match in the first half of the start of the season, but will they be able to do it second time around? Even with the home advantage? We shall see!

To win, all you have to do is head over to our Facebook page, and follow the simple instructions, answering the question ‘Who won the first encounter when these two teams met earlier this season?‘.

Rules:

• Closing date of Thursday 9 February 2012 at 13:00 GMT
• Only one entry per person
• Prize for 2 tickets only, no travel or expenses are included
• No cash refund or alternitive offered
• Winner must be able to sign for ticketson Friday 10 February 2012
• All decisions are final

This coming weekend, the rugby population of the northern hemisphere goes nuts as the six nations begins when the French take on Italy in Paris, with changes in personnel, in management, and in players, it promises to be an exciting tournament. Lets look at each side and my predictions on places.

6th – Italy

I would love for Italy to do better than last, but unfortunately I can’t see it. They are still not a complete team and rely too heavily on the leadership of Sergio Parisse. Could scrape a win against Scotland, and may give another side a scare. But I predict no wins and a big wooden spoon for the Azurri.

Player to Watch – Luca Morisi The 21 Year old centre is in fine form this season and fully deserves his call up to the senior squad. Expect him to make a start against the French and turn some heads. Definitely one for the future.

5th – Scotland

Scotland have a point to prove after their abysmal world cup campaign, and they have the best possible chance to turn over a new look England side in their first game at Murrayfield. It will be interesting to see who Andy Robinson selects to face the red rose. With Ross Ford being handed the captaincy there seems to be no room for previous captain Alistair Kellock. Will Robinson decide to put more faith in the Edinburgh players he has in the squad after their great performances in the Heineken cup, or mix things up even further? Only time will tell. Will beat the Italians and may surprise the Irish but that will be the lot.

Player to watch – Lee Jones The Edinburgh wing is on fire at the moment, and has ripped a few defences apart already this season. I expect him to take a wing berth and possibly embarrass Chris Ashton.

4th – Ireland

The top 4 are going to be very close this year. But I think Ireland will be at the bottom of them. For the first time in the competitions 11 year history the Emerald Isle will be without the mercurial Brian O’Driscoll, which leaves a massive hole in the Irish midfield. Coach Declan Kidney will probably choose Keith Earls to fill the void. But his defensive frailties have been exposed by Manu Tuilagi and others in recent years so it could be a bad move. A tight win against the Italians and Scottish and possibly a win over the French. But will remain in fourth. Kidney has made no changes to the squad that bombed out of the world cup – and I think that is a major mistake.

Player to watch – None There are no new faces in the Irish squad.

3rd – France

New coach Phillipe Saint-Andre will want to banish the off-field issues surrounding the last world cup campaign under previous coach Marc Lievremont. However, he will be looking to build on an impressive display that almost won them the Webb Ellis Trophy. Much will rely on the form of Captain Thierry Dusatoir and Imanol Harrinordoquay, both are amazing footballers and have the ability to dominate a game. However I think a Welsh side out for revenge and a youthful England will come out on top.

Player to watch – Wesley Fofana The centre is performing well for Clermont, and would be an ideal partner for his club team mate Aurélien Rougerie.

2nd – England

Possibly being slightly biased, but I am hoping that this new look England will upset a few sides. They will turn up to Murrayfield with no arrogance and no divine right to win a game, they will be hungry to win. Interim head coach Stuart Lancaster named Halequins Flanker Chris Robshaw the successor to Lewis Moody as captain on Monday, this was rumoured to be Tom Wood but a toe injury has ruled him out the first 2 weeks of the tournament. However Lancaster believes many other players on the pitch should be leaders as well. Key men will be Ben Youngs and Toby Flood, the Leicester duo need to get the forwards working and the backline moving forward.

Player to Watch – Owen Farrell The son of the Rugby League great Andy Farrell is starting to step out his fathers massive shadow and is proving that he is the real deal. Seen currently as the long term option at number 10 for country, he has been operating outside compatriot Charlie Hodgson at 12 for club side Saracens. I would expect Lancaster to play Farrell at 12 to give him more time to make decisions.

1st – Wales

Captain Sam Warburton and his Welsh side will be firing on all cylinders after their exit at the semi finals of the world cup after promising so much. Warburton in particular will be looking to put behind him the red card that put them at a disadvantage against the French. I don’t expect them to take a grand slam, they could be beaten by an Irish side looking to avenge their defeat from the world cup. But they will score enough points to take it. Without Shane Williams in the side they will have to look to George North to start to achieve his potential as a devastating finisher.

Player to Watch – Harry Robinson The Rookie Blues wing is probably too young to get the nod over Leigh Halfpenny or George North, but is a very exciting prospect for the future, hopefully if he gets a chance we can see his class on the big stage.

If you are a smartphone owner, check out the RBS Six Nations app which is always good. Including live commentry and video highlights. And of course, come and give us some banter / stick on twitter or Facebook.

For years now we have been snowboarding with both feet attached to the board. And to be honest at no point have we had a problem with this (well, the odd skier!). Prepare yourself for some ‘outside of the box’ thinking from the guys at Dual Snowboards. They have created a unique and new snowboarding experience by creating independent boards for each foot. You attach yourself to each board with the usual bindings and snowboard boots but have complete freedom to move both legs as skiers do (but ultimately still look cooler ;-).

On first inspection it looks completely bizarre. However, the more you watch the promo vid and think of the freestyle opportunities they create these really are some cool pieces of kit. No more getting stuck on the long flats watching skiers sail by with their poles. Now you can run along and be on the move again within seconds.

The CEO of Dual snowboards has stated that the new boards have not been created to replace the traditional snowboard but instead to create a cool new style of boarding that will really push forward the freestyle world. They are also reported to improve your balance and strength when you get back onto a full size board. A cool idea and one that we are super keen to try out…. on an upcoming boarding trip to Austria….. on 4th Feb…. 2012…. in 9 days time….

For more info you can of course head over to the official site at www.dualsnowboards.com.

There is only one man in football at the moment, infact there has only been one man in football for the last few years. Following Lionel Messi’s 3rd consecutive win of the Ballon d’Or, there really is no debating he is not only the greatest player of our generation but perhaps the greatest player of all time. It would actually be a disappointment for him not to own a World Cup winners medal one day, but that just isn’t going happen with the current Agentina squad.

Adidas have released a great video in tribute to Messi, not just the usual skill and playing ball, but look at his past, the present and maybe a glimpe into the future. Already hitting nearly a million views on YouTube. It is one for the collection. And it comes as no suprise that Messi made a big mention to his Barcelona team-mate, Xavi.

Once upon a time things were simple and the Puma King was the ONLY football boot you ever wanted or needed in your life. Things change, not only are BROS no longer at the top of the charts, but football boots are now packed with so much technology that they put all manners of things to shame.

Welcome the new adidas F50 adiZero miCoach football boot. Worn by some of the very best players in the world, this latest boot features the excellent miCoach technology and allow us every day footballers to track and analyse our footballing skills like never before, monitoring speed, distance covered, turns and work rate.

We have been fans of miCoach ever since we started using it for cycling and running, and this next step is sure to force it even further up peoples Christmas List. Capable of monitoring user’s 360-degree personal performance data the adidas adiZero F50 miCoach incorporates a removable sensor that following use can wirelessly transfer information to your computer, smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth.

It is the first time an average player can ‘go like a pro’ and compare themselves to the very best. They can actually compare their own F50 miCoach data to a host of professional players who are under the adidas banner such as Luis Suarez, David Silva, Samir Nasri , Ashley Young, Emmanuel Adebayor, Stewart Downing, Gareth Bale and of course that man Lionel Messi.

Expect to see most of the above players wearing the boot in the upcoming internetail friendlies (boo!). If you want some yourself, you are going to be heading towards the £250 mark (boo boo).

Anyway, check the video below, it’s short and for such a large large, pretty poor. I think it even has the voice of the bloody annoying Mark Chapman.

So the group stages are over and we are all sat twiddling our thumbs waiting for the knockout stages which start this weekend. Now our in-house expert was a touch controversial saying both Ireland and Wales would be on the plane home by now. We are pleased to report they aren’t and in-fact shall be battling it out on Saturday morning in probably the match of the Quarter Finals.

Well to help you along for a few more days, we have stumbled across this little gem from Lynx. Now we aren’t the biggest fan of Lynx, or Axe as it is known in other areas of the world, bought as birthday and Christmas presents from far-away Aunties for every year for the last 20 does that to man. BUT, credit where credit is due. They are coming out with some proper corking videos recently, and this one is no different.

Showing the rules of game might sound a bit boring, but showing the rules of the game using hot women in lycra vest and knickers? It’s kind of a mid-week win!

Hitting over 1 million view on YouTube already, sit back with your cup of tea and relax for 2 minutes of ‘sporting bliss’

This has kind of shocked us. We have just been handed a link to some MMA fights, pretty normal as you would expect. But these MMA fights actually include children as young as 8 years old!

This might not be that shocking if it was kids playing in the yard, or fighting on the street. But from what we can tell this is professionally organised and took place at the Greenlands Labour Club in Preston, Lancashire, right here in the UK.

The bouts are filmed with the lads wearing no protection, not even gloves (which means it would be an classed as an illegal fight anyway!) and is at a sold out event which has obviously been properly organised. From what we can tell there is no striking, but this still doesn’t seem right! At one point, one of the children is even crying, needing medical staff and there are even ring girls between rounds!

What do you think? We are all for people learning their trade at a young age, and some of these lads have awesome transitions! But being watched in a cage and not getting paid?! The major problem here, is it gives MMA a bad name, national tabloids will be all over this within hours and no doubt blame MMA for the problem which just isn’t true.

Yes, it’s back. The Premier League may have been under-way a few weeks now, but the worlds most prestigious club competition (unless you are based outside Europe!) is back, the UEFA Champions League. Dominated by Barcelona last year, Lionel Messi and his merry men will no doubt be the team to beat again. But with the two halves of Manchester starting the season in blistering fashion, the Spanish giants may not get it all their own way.

Yet again, Heineken will be providing the official refreshments for us fans as one of the main sponsors. And to celebrate that launch of top class mid week football, you can expect to see a few advert premiere’s of some of the world greats during this evenings games. Including no other than Gianluigi Buffon, Rene Adler, Patrick Vieira, Clarence Seedorf and Ruud Van Nistelrooy, who between them possess almost 350 UEFA Champions League match appearances.

There will be two main 30 second advertisements, The ‘Opera’, revolves around that man, Clarence Seedorf, as he lines up to take a shot at Buffon, filmed in the stunning setting of a European opera house. The second video, ‘Pantheon’, takes place in the more historical, spectacular setting of an ancient Roman gladiatorial ring, where Vieira and Van Nistelrooy compete to win a header and score into Adler’s goal.

Patrick Vieira said: “When you walk out you hear the Champions League music, you think, ‘This is it’. This is our moment and when you’re there and you walk out onto the pitch, you play against the best teams in Europe, and the matches are always very exciting. I do think that there is a parallel between art and soccer, when you are playing in the Champions League you feel that you are in an arena. We players compare ourselves to gladiators and when the battle starts against the opponent you then have to go out there and try to win the match.”

Check out the interactive video below, where you can choose which scene to watch and when, and of course some exclusive out-takes.

MMA is literally taking over the world. A bold statement perhaps, but anyone who puts boxing above it in terms of a ‘specatator’ sport, or on pure ability has probably spent one too many rounds in ring. Yes boxing still brings in the coin, which amazes me as it does most, but I am pretty sure those days are on their way out and the tide is turning.

Wherever you look nowadays, you will see an element of MMA somewhere, your latest energy drink, your lastest peice of clothing and of course some of the very best sports brands in the world.

K-SWISS are just one of those brands. This year they have put alot of time and effort into Gonzo World, their new pet project. It’s all about taking things further, doing something, but then doing it even better.

“GONZO’s about taking things all the way to the top of the stairs, deciding the staircase is way too short, building an extra stair on top of the existing staircase and taking things that one step further”

Geeky, pale and un-educated (we assume its a character…) Jamie Howard has been blasting his way filming a wave of films for the new series, so far including musical talents such as Lil B and Tempa T, but now a much harder task has been put in front of him. Get fit (or perhaps die tryin’) with all round UFC good guy, and MMA veteran (young vet!) Urijah Faber.

The video itself is pretty cool, too long to be a viral and too short to be a masterclass but want a funny insight into MMA training and some of what it takes to become a professional fighter? You could do a lot worse than looking right here.

In the rest of series Jamie will be put through his paces by Elite Training, followed up by Mr Michael White.

Tomorrow sees the start of one of the greatest events on the sporting calendar. The rugby world cup kicks off when the Mighty New Zealand All Blacks take on Tonga in the opening game of the tournament. Don’t expect any diving, play acting or players swearing at the referee here, instead expect passion, heartache, pain and elation in equal measure as 20 teams from around the world compete to win the coveted William Webb Ellis Trophy, or ‘Bill’ as its known. Lets have a run down of each pool.

Pool A

New Zealand
The hosts and everyone’s favourites to win the prize that has alluded them since the inaugural world cup in 1987. Coach Graham Henry will be under immense pressure to succeed infront of the home crowd after failing to bring home the goods back in 2007, when they were again favourites. Much will rely on keeping Dan Carter and Richie MacCaw fit, but even so, I can’t see them being beaten by ANYONE…

Prediction – Winners

AJB Star Man – Dan Carter The kiwi fly-half, who has scored more points in test rugby than any other player in history, is the complete package. New Zealand fail to function without their lynchpin, he gets the best out of their backline and without him, the All Blacks may struggle.

France
Like many teams here, capable of beating any side in the world on their day, no side likes facing Les Bleus, Coach Marc Lievremont has toned down the French flair, and turned them into a workmanlike outfit. However I don’t see them causing any upsets this year, losing to New Zealand in the group stages means they will meet England in the last eight, and the end of their tournament.

Prediction – Down and out in the Quarters

AJB Star Man – Thierry Dusatoir Much is said about Imanol Harinordoquy & Maxime Medard being France’s top performers, but Les Bleus talismanic captain is the man they need to rally the troops, tireless workrate and fearless in the tackle, he is a flanker all number 10s fear.

Tonga
The Pacific Islanders will ruffle the feathers of New Zealand and France, but will have to settle with 2 wins in the group against the smaller teams unless they can cause a huge upset.

Prediction – Off Home after the Pool stages

AJB Star Man – Soane Tonga’uiha The Northampton Prop has been destroying people for fun in the premiership last season, can he take his awesome club form to international level?

Canada
Canada are improving all the time, but will struggle to scrape a win this year. Their game against Japan could actually be a great one, deciding who will go home without a win.

Prediciton – 1 Win, out in the Pools

AJB Star Man – Chauncey O’Toole Exquisite backrower has just grabbed himself a contract with the Ospreys with some neat skills in the Churchill Cup, should do well.

Japan
Might sneak a win against Canada, but I doubt it. They just aren’t strong enough up front and will be shunted all over the park by all sides in the group stages.

Prediction – Whipping Boys of the Pools

AJB Star Man – James Arlidge New Zealand born fly half qualifies on residential grounds, plays for Nottingham in the RFU Championship

Pool B

England
The Red Rose seem to be coming along ok, a half decent six nations campaign and two good wins against Wales and Ireland in the warm up games. Expect Jonny Wilkinson to reclaim his no.10 Jersey in the first game against Argentina, and young guns like Manu Tuilagi and Ben Youngs have a chance to light up the big stage. Could they make it a record breaking 3 finals in a row?

Prediction – Group won, hard fought win over the French in the last 8 only to succumb to some Quade Cooper magic in the semis.

AJB Star Man – Ben Youngs The Norfolk born youngster has just returned from injury and is vital to England’s progression this year, he gets the forwards moving hard and gets the 10 on a good platform, which Mr Wilkinson would like for more drop goals – yes please. He could well be one of the future greats if he continues his form for club and country.

Argentina
If anyone is here to upset the party it’s these guys, Argentina always play an abrasive style of game which some sides find hard to deal with, shouldn’t be a problem for England, but if they switch off the Argentines will capitalise and will grind you down. There’s also an added incentive, winners of the group avoid playing the All-Blacks which England need to be wary of.

Prediction – 2nd in group then a spanking by the men in black, Quarter Finals

AJB Star Man – Felipe Contepomi With the Argentine scrum providing this man with clean ball, Contepomi should get the backline moving and kick points.

Scotland
Unfortunately I don’t think this will be Scotlands year, they have never failed to escape a group stage of a world cup, but the emergence of Argentina will see them off earlier than normal. Disappointing for a home nation, but we can’t help that, best the scots start cheering Andy Murray (LOLs!).

Prediction – Out in Group stages

AJB Star Man – Richie Gray The 6ft 9in Second Row is a fantastic footballer, with great handling skills and athleticism, will be a British Lion in 2 years time and one to watch.

Georgia
The Georgian national side will be one to watch in the future, ever improving, they narrowly lost to Ireland 14-10 in the last world cup, would be good for world rugby if they upset one of the bigger sides in the group. But it may be a little too soon.

Prediction – Valiant effort but on the plane home after the group stage

AJB Star Man – Irakli Abuseridze The Georgian captain will be after a monstrous effort from his pack to allow him to thrive at scrum half.

Romania
Once a fairly strong force in European rugby, the Romanians are a shadow of their former selves, however they have a few shining lights in their side and might provide the odd upset with luck on their side.

Prediction – Group stage

AJB Star Man – Ovidiu Tonita Currently plays for Perpignan in the French top 14, hard working player that will keep on running.

Pool C

Australia
The Aussies always seem to get things right, they are peaking at the right time, beating the All-Blacks to win the tri-nations, their pack for once seems to be able to hold their own to release the most talented backline probably ever to grace a wallaby side. I think their average age will be about 23, which is young for a world cup. Just wonder if they can hold their nerve on the big stage?

Prediction – The Aussies will probably stick it to the Poms in the Semis, but fall short in the final.

AJB Star Man – Quade Cooper Who else? The George Best of rugby is most probably the hottest player in the world at the moment, with deft kicks, massive side steps and audacious offloading skills. Not quite a great on a par with the all round game of Wilkinson or Carter, but he is certainly more exciting.

Ireland
Declan Kidney will be under immense pressure for his side to perform in this world cup after Ireland crashed out in the pool stages last time around. With numerous injuries hampering the squad I can’t help feeling it may be another tough ride.

Prediction – Controversial? I think the Italians will sneak a win and send the Irish back home early – Out in the group stages.

AJB Star Man – Brian O’Driscoll England showed last week why they need their talismanic captain in the Outside centre channel, Manu Tuilagi exposed Keith Earls for their first try and they will need his stoic resistance and leadership in the tougher games. Key if Ireland are to progress

Italy
The Azzuri have the ability to reach the Quarter finals for the first time this year, with Martin Castrogiovanni anchoring their scrummage they will be formidable opponents for any side. I expect them to beat a floundering Irish side.

Prediction – Quarter final spot beckons

AJB Star Man – Sergio Parisse The Stade Francais no.8 would walk into any national team in the world, is prowess at the back of the scrum is second to none, the Azzuri are very lucky to have such a leader.

Russia
Rather an unknown quantity, their first time in a world cup and I would say are probably the weakest side in the tournament. Will struggle all the way through and not come close to a win.

Prediction – No wins, out in the Pools.

AJB Star Man – Vasily Artemyev Winger has just signed for Northampton, he is rapid, but I don’t know how he will perform at the highest level.

U.S.A
One of the sleeping giants of the world scene, if only they could convince more sportsmen to participate, everyone knows they could be great. Will get one win against Russia, and did you know, they are reigning Olympic Champions (Last time rugby was held at the Olympics it was 1924…)

Predictions – 1 Win in pool stages

AJB Star Man – Takudzwa Ngwenya The Biarritz winger probably made the highlight of the last world cup when he absolutely smoked Brian Habana on the outside to score a memorable try against the eventual World Champs. Would like to see more of the same this year.

Pool D – The Group of Death

South Africa
The boks are the same side that won the world cup 4 years ago, and that is their underlying fault, they haven’t moved on, they don’t have much imagination any more and they are very easy to read and defend against. However they will batter the opposition into submission. Interesting how they will fare against Samoa, who look strong.

Prediction – Will top the group to leave Fiji, Samoa and Wales to fight out the last spot.

AJB Star Man – Fourie du Preez The man behind the bok’s triumph in 2007, when they have lost him to injury they have had no direction, he brings them stability and a good platform when fit.

Wales
Wales face a tough time this year as they scrap it out with Pacific bruisers Samoa and their old Nemesis’ Fiji, who knocked them out of the 2007 tournament. It will go down to the wire, with the runners up going through on points difference, this is where the try scoring ability of the south sea islanders may well see Samoa through.

Predictions – Out in the group stages will leave an unsightly cloud over coach Warren Gatland’s head

AJB Star Man – George North Much is said about the dazzling feet of Shane Williams, but North is a perfect foil for his fellow wing, he brings power and a genuine eye for the tryline. He has slipped under the radar for many southern hemisphere teams and may surprise a few people.

Fiji
These boys are the French of the southern hemisphere, throwing the ball about like it’s a game of sevens. The only difference is they tackle like men possessed. Showed when they defended with their lives to dump Wales out in 2007. Will be a valiant effort but will just fall short in the groups

Prediction – Excitement but out in the group stage

AJB Star Man – Napolioni Nalaga Top scorer two season in a row in the French top 14, can score tries out of nothing for fun.

Samoa
Samoa made the world sit up and take note when they gave Australia an absolute battering a few months ago, big hits and abrasive action a plenty, expect more of the same, when they bulldoze their way into the quarter finals for the first time since 1995.

Predictions – Quarter finals, with some broken ribs along the way

AJB Star Man – Alesana Tuilagi Lots has been said about his brother Manu being included in the England squad, but some may forgotten the 18 plus stone Leicester winger is a beast. Have fun trying to tackle him!

Namibia
Poor Namibia, unfortunately they are in a group where the 4 others are in contention for two spaces, they may feel like they wished they had never come.

Predictions – Sorry but an absolute hammering in every game

AJB Star Man – Jacques Burger The Saracens flanker will have to be on top form to elevate his side. Won’t make much difference though.

So there we have it an in depth run down, and a final to savour. No England there in my opinion, but would pay good money to see Quade Cooper vs Dan Carter on the biggest stage in World Rugby. All the games will be in the AM, and we suggest you don’t miss a minute!

Don’t forget you can also check out the exclusive chats with Toby Flood and his thoughts on this years RWC.