FILE - The French team players including Antoine Dupont, center, celebrate with the trophy after the Six Nations rugby union match between France and Scotland at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, file)

LONDON (AP) — There's finally a serious threat to the France and Ireland dominion over the Six Nations.

England has come on for the first time since its last title in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The team is riding an 11-game winning streak, in which the highlight was beating New Zealand 33-19 in November. It ended the All Blacks' grand slam hopes and sealed the exit of New Zealand coach Scott Robertson.

A resurgent team with British and Irish Lions on the bench and brimming with X-factor in Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Henry Pollock has prompted coach Steve Borthwick, normally cautious, to talk up their climactic last-round showdown with defending champion France in Paris.

“On 14 March ... we want to be in a position in that game to get what we all want to achieve,” Borthwick told the BBC.

England is vulnerable, though. Its last test of 2025 against Argentina was an aerial dogfight that wasn't clinched until the Pumas bungled a last-minute throw-in.

France

France and Ireland have shared the last four Six Nations titles and anticipation of their matchup this year will be resolved in the opening game, the first Thursday kickoff in championship history to avoid the Milan Cortina Olympics opening ceremony.

France is the favorite thanks to an ideal schedule — home games against Ireland and England — the return of inspirational captain Antoine Dupont, and the strength of the Top 14, home of the last five European club champions.

But France's autumn campaign raised questions: It was outsmarted and overpowered by 14-man South Africa and notched unconvincing wins against Fiji and a depleted Australia.

Coach Fabien Galthié has appeared to accept their struggles while transitioning the team for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.

He shocked by dropping unhurried record try-scorer Damian Penaud, workhorse vice-captain Grégory Alldritt and 98-cap filler Gaël Fickou. From Uini Atonio's sudden retirement due to heart issues and an injury list including Romain Ntamack, Paul Boudehent and Nolann Le Garrec, Galthié sees opportunity rather than jeopardy.

He's highlighted novice backs Théo Attissogbe, Kalvin Gourgues and Fabien Brau-Boirie and uncapped flanker Lenni Nouchi, who is the oldest of the four at 22. “These prospects need to play,” Galthié said. “They need the chance to make mistakes.”

Then there's Dupont and the precious reassurance he gives every team he plays for that everything will be OK. An ACL tear in March against Ireland kept him out until November and the scrum-half finally played 80 minutes in mid-January. He's surprised himself by how quickly he's got up to speed.

Ireland

The big debate among Irish fans at this time is usually about who should be the fly-half: Sam Prendergast, the best attacker? Jack Crowley, the best defender? Or Harry Byrne, the best goal kicker?

But there have been bigger issues for Ireland in a troublesome buildup.

Ireland's all-Lions front row was humiliated by South Africa in November. The lineout is already messy and if Ireland doesn't have a scrum it won't matter who is the No. 10.

Tighthead star Tadhg Furlong has played less than two hours of rugby since the South Africa embarrassment and injuries have forced Ireland to its fourth-choice loosehead. Whoever plays, all eyes will be on him in the first scrum in Paris.

Also out are Mack Hansen, Finlay Bealham, Ryan Baird and Hugo Keenan, who broke his thumb in the training camp in Portugal last week.

Bundee Aki was also dropped and censured by Ireland before a disciplinary panel served him a six-week suspension for verbally abusing a referee again.

The ban spoke to a “growing and unacceptable culture” of misconduct by Ireland players toward match officials, former Irish test ref Owen Doyle told the Irish Times. Other recent cases involved Jonathan Sexton in 2023 and Hansen in 2024, and Caelan Doris and James Ryan have also had communication issues. They add up to an unwanted reputation for Ireland with referees.

Scotland

Scotland has a different reputation. World-beaters at times, the Scots are notoriously prone to switching off in games.

The booing at Murrayfield in November after they lost to Argentina from 21-0 up can’t be brushed off. The collapses stem from a weak bench, unreliable set-pieces and a mental fragility that have not been fixed under Gregor Townsend, the longest serving of the current Six Nations coaches.

Scottish Rugby defied a growing clamor for a new voice for the national team by giving Townsend a contract extension last September to the 2027 World Cup. By then he will have been in charge for 10 years.

Townsend doesn't shy from tough questions and showed he can be ruthless when he dropped Lions winger Duhan van der Merwe before the New Zealand game in November.

Scotland averages two wins per Six Nations on Townsend's watch and they could have two wins by the only break in the competition this year; they start with Italy away, home to England, which hasn't won at Murrayfield since 2020, then Wales away.

Italy

After beating Italy three times out of three in 2025, battling in two, Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus predicted “underrated” Italy will finish second or third in the Six Nations. But his compliment didn't specify when.

Italy has never finished higher than fourth and to repeat that this year would no surprise. There are only two home games, Scotland at the start and England at the end, but the Azzurri's positive energy and enterprise have brought about rare sold-out signs at 70,000-seat Stadio Olimpico against Scotland.

“Can we dream of beating Scotland?” coach Gonzalo Quesada said. “We're world champions at dreaming.”

Italy has big holes at the back to fill after injuries to Ange Capuozzo and Tommaso Allan were compounded by a ruptured ACL in training on Saturday suffered by in-form Northampton wing Edoardo Todaro, who debuted in November.

Wales

If Japan was in the Six Nations Wales would be ecstatic.

At Japan's expense in 2025, Wales ended the longest losing streak in men's tier-one history in July, and snapped a record 10-match losing streak in home games in November. But another streak is still alive: 11 consecutive Six Nations losses dating to 2023.

Wales supporters starved for success gobbled up crumbs of optimism from a bunch of tries scored against New Zealand and Argentina in November. But at the other end Wales didn't have the physicality to stop opponents from getting over the gainline.

The team's best player and captain, Jac Morgan, remained a doubt to appear in the tournament following shoulder surgery. Also worrying for Wales were ticket sales, its lifeblood. Sales are low. At least a goosebumps prematch show is guaranteed: The national anthem will be sung a cappella in Cardiff after it was a big hit in November before the All Blacks game.

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