O'Driscoll and Ireland stunned Australia.

By Frank Malley, PA Chief Sports Writer

For the traditionalist this season's Six Nations Championship is something of a nightmare.

Television has messed around with kick-off times, there will be tea-time matches, more Sunday fixtures and the entire tournament has been condensed into little more than six weeks.

But rarely has rugby's most prestigious domestic competition been anticipated with such eagerness.

The reason is simple. What happens in the next couple of months of action provides a springboard for players to stake their claim for a place at the World Cup Down Under in the autumn.

For Scotland, who beat South Africa so convincingly last year, it is time to bring some consistency to their game. For Wales it is an opportunity to build on the encouraging performance of their creditable defeat against the All Blacks.

It is time for Ireland, if they are to be legitimate World Cup contenders, to put together a sequence of stirring triumphs, such as the one which saw them overcome Australia at Lansdowne Road, rather than produce the one-off brilliance which has become their trademark.

But mostly it is time for England, under coach Clive Woodward, to deliver an iron-tough tournament to banish the painful memories of the past five years.

So near, but yet so far has been the tale of Woodward's reign when it comes to actually getting hands on meaningful silverware. Against Scotland and Ireland their flaws have been exposed in recent years just when they appeared in touching distance of that elusive Grand Slam.

Last year they failed against a resurgent France in Paris but this time they meet Les Bleus in the first match at Twickenham on February 15.

With a world record 18 successive Test victories under their belt at headquarters, England should get off to a winning start, though the unpredictability of the French is legendary.

It promises to be a mighty encounter and there is something about the evolving state of English rugby which suggests this could be their year.

They have blended a pleasing mixture of steel and style, the uncompromising nature of their big pack - with a formidable and manoeuvrable back row - dovetailing nicely with the more ethereal skills of Jason Robinson and Jonny Wilkinson in the backs.

They also possess a one-man tryscoring machine in wing Ben Cohen and a stream of youngsters such as James Simpson-Daniel and Phil Christophers piling the pressure on established internationals, one of whom, Jason Leonard, is poised to win his 100th cap - becoming only the third player in the history of the game, along with David Campese and Phillippe Sella, to achieve such a feat.

There was an edge about England's hat-trick of triumphs against southern hemisphere opposition in the autumn, when they scored tries freely and defended stoutly, which suggested Woodward's men were on the cusp of great things.

But don't take my word for it. Listen to Wilkinson, indisputably the world's greatest fly-half and goal-kicker.

"England are in great shape, especially after beating the three southern hemisphere giants at Twickenham in the autumn," says Wilkinson.

"Winning against New Zealand, in particular, was a psychological barrier.

"Scoring tries against all those nations was also a huge step forward. We have enjoyed developing and improving. The new ideas are beginning to gel brilliantly. People's skills, ambitions and reading of the game are getting better and are a huge testament to the benefit of our get-togethers.

"On top of that our side is sprinkled with leaders and the importance of that cannot be overestimated. Phil Vickery, Martin Johnson, Lawrence Dallaglio, Jason Leonard and Matt Dawson have all captained their clubs and their country.

"So many established leaders gives us a huge amount of confidence. You know you can rely on people to take charge, to take responsibility on the chin.

"I often look round the changing room two minutes before we're due to run out and see all those guys who can handle the pressure of whatever is thrown at them.

"I think, 'They are going to look after me'. It's a fantastic feeling."

That confidence, however, will be tested by the psychological barrier which awaits them in their last match of the championship at Lansdowne Road at the end of March.

No-one who witnessed Ireland's stirring triumph over England there in 2001 could forget the manner in which Woodward's side were humbled on an afternoon of Irish mania and magnificence just when it seemed they had their hands on that Grand Slam.

If the Slam is again up for grabs this time as they cross the Irish Sea what a wonderful climax it would make to a tournament which promises to be even more urgent and frantic than usual given its new streamlined format of back-to-back weekends.

A tournament packed with intrigue awaits. After which the winners could have the world at their feet.