Leinster and Munster both nowhere near as good as past seasons for me, Ulster are doing very well this season though.

No Aviva/Rabo team can compete with the French when it comes to wages but the Welsh are particularly struggling. There's a healthy contingent of Welsh players over there already and more already confirmed to leave in the summer. I read late last year that they are considering removing one of the Welsh provinces in order to help strengthen the remaining three teams.

Internationally, Wales have lost seven in a row since winning the Grand Slam and they were particularly poor against Samoa but I think they will improve for the Six Nations.

The interest in professional rugby union in Wales doesn't match that in England, France or Ireland. Financially, there's no way they can compete because they simply don't get the crowds.

Cardiff have only registered one home crowd over 10k this season, against the Ospreys who themselves are averaging around 7k. Scarlets have also only broken 10k once this season.

Things are even worse for the Dragons (the likely casualties of any cull) as they didn't make the Heineken Cup. Only 4k attended their Challenge Cup game against Wasps last weekend.

The Welsh regions threw a lot of money at player recruitment when they first came together, and have lived beyond their means since. Concentrating it down to 3 regions won't solve the attendance issue, as fans of whichever one gets folded won't go watch one of the other three. Basically, they're finding their level - unpleasant as that thought may be - and it's not competing with the big boys.

I think you're right about Newport. When you look at the comparative crowds at Newport County, who are in the Conference, they're not a million miles off a team who theoretically play in their sport's top-flight against big-city teams like Cardiff, Swansea and (well you know what I mean) Leinster and Munster, as opposed to Braintree, Barrow and Southport.

The professional era looks like it is coming to claim more casualties, just as it came for Richmond, Rosslyn Park et al, and in our own game the likes of Liversedge and Heckmondwike.

Jonathan Sexton to leave Leinster and the IRU to move to France next season, Racing Metro is being reported as his likely destination.

"The offer he has received is exceptional, even by French standards, but I know that it was still a tough decision for him." Joe Schmidt, Leinster coach.

A perfect illustration of the power of the French money. This guy is Mr Leinster.

£625,000 a year will help cope with missing out on the Guinness in Dublin for a few years.

Something has to be done soon before the French completely strangle the life out of the Pro12.

Long-term, I can see the Pro12 merge with the Aviva. A long way off but it's very possible.

But why would the Aviva want to do that?

Greed probably! Other than Bristol and Newcastle, Leeds at a push, there's not a lot of strength in the lower tiers of RU in England as far as I can see.

Add in the two Irish teams, two Welsh regions and the two Scottish teams and form a two-tier Premiership. Like I say, it's not hugely likely anytime soon, but it would solve a problem. I bet the powers that be would love a viable Cardiff or Dublin double-header to go with their London double-header/free ticket bonanza.

Alex Corbisiero and Manu Tuilagi out of 6 nations opener.

England to name shock replacements....................Englishmen.

Not sure the Italians would be too happy with that!

Very true! But then again, that experiment doesn't appear to be working too well. I could equally see Italian domestic rugby union send its top clubs to the French lower tiers one day as well, but that's even more unlikely.

Zebre are a bit of an embarrassment, but Treviso are improving a fair bit. The national team ran Australia ragged last year. We will see how they do in 6 Nations I guess, but won't surprise me if they're above Scotland again.

I think you're right there, Jon. I'm sure a contributor on these boards said that RU is becoming an irrelevance in Scotland- repeatedly being below Italy is going to cause them even more trouble.