The RBS 6 Nations kicks off this month, following hot on the heels of the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia. One of the stars Down Under was Ireland’s captain Keith Wood; here he talks about his World Cup, his hopes for the RBS 6 Nations, and the trouble with watching from the sidelines.

A genial and instantly recognisable figure on the pitch and off, Keith Wood’s prodigious skill and shaven head have earned him a range of titles, from 'the finest hooker in the world’ to 'the raging potato’. (“It doesn’t seem to crop up much any more, but I do still hear it from time to time.”) Plagued by shoulder and neck injuries in the latter years of his career, Wood hung up his boots for the last time after Ireland’s World Cup quarter-final defeat to Australia, and is finally starting to feel some relief from the pain. “The shoulder’s brilliant now that I’m not running into brick walls for a living,” he says wryly. “It aches on cold mornings, but it’s pretty good.”

Looking back on his last hurrah in the World Cup, he shrugs off the hard work required to reach Australia. “Other people have GPs – I just have a surgeon. His name’s Ian Bayley and he’s been my surgeon since 1995. He knows my shoulder inside out and I wouldn’t go to anybody else.”

Did he ever doubt that he’d make it to the tournament? “Not really. I was having problem after problem – I had a neck injury and had surgery on that and got fit again as soon as I could. I was in great shape and feeling very good about it, but then my shoulder went so I had to go for surgery again.”

With medical help and his own gritty determination, he ensured that he was ready and able to lead Ireland out for their first game Down Under, a 45-17 win over Romania. Victories against Namibia and Argentina followed before a narrow defeat at the hands of the Wallabies cast them into a draw against the on-form French.

The ensuing 43-21 French win still sticks in the craw. “I’m looking forward to seeing Ireland play [in the RBS 6 Nations] because that last game wasn’t indicative of our standard. I wasn’t happy with our performance against the French, and the lads will feel that they have something to prove. They’ll be very hungry after the World Cup, so I’d hope that they’ll do very well. They’ve got the hardest set-up they could have had, playing France and England away, but I still hope they can do something with that. “I’m looking forward to seeing how Wales gets on. They punched above their weight at the World Cup, and I’d like to see how they take that forward. I’d like to see how England cope with the spectre of being World Champions, and you never know what Scotland are going to do under their new coach Matty Williams.”

2004 is certainly a year ripe for upset in the championship, with a host of older players choosing to hang up their boots after the World Cup. “There’s bound to be some fallout, with guys retiring and others not having the edge, but that’s just going to make it all the more interesting.” The England side, dubbed 'Dad’s Army’ by the Australian press during the World Cup, can expect to lose influential players. There were no confirmations at time of going to press, but Martin Johnson (34 next month), Neil Back (34) and Lawrence Dallaglio (31) are among the stars that have been linked to retirement. Meanwhile, the French have said goodbye to Raphael Ibanez (30), Fabien Galthie (34) and Fabien Pelous (30).

Wood will begin his own retirement by working for the BBC and The Royal Bank of Scotland during the tournament. “One of my New Year’s resolutions was to try to enjoy the rugby games that I’m watching. I think I’ll still struggle with it, but it might be easier now that I know I’m retired, so there’s nothing I can do about it anyway. It’s not so bad watching your side win, but it’s very hard watching them lose. I find that very depressing.”

A veteran campaigner, Wood is as enthusiastic about the RBS 6 Nations now as he was at the start of his career: “It really hasn’t changed that much, which is brilliant – it’s still a pure hotbed of national rivalry. It’s a rugby tournament but it’s not just a rugby tournament. It’s full of character and it’s a way of life.

“The social scene has changed a great deal since I started playing, in that after most games you’re just knackered, so you just go for a post-match meal. Now that the RBS 6 Nations has been condensed, there’s much less chance to go out on the lash.”

He does have a couple of favourite watering holes on the circuit though. “My favourite place to go in Paris is Kitty O’Shea’s on Rue des Capucines. I’m good friends with the owners and I’ll always pop in there.” He may find it depressing to see his beloved Ireland playing without him, but he’s looking on the bright side: “With a bit of luck, I’ll be in a much better position to talk about the social side of things this time next year, when I’ve actually sampled some of the places for myself!”

Competition
To celebrate the RBS 6 Nations we’re giving away ten official RBS supporters’ jerseys and a limited edition RBS 6 Nations ball. To win one of these great prizes simply tell us where the first match of the tournament will be played. Send your answers by 29th February to competition@electricink.net. The first one drawn will receive the ball and a shirt, with nine runners-up receiving jerseys. For terms and conditions, see www.easyjetinflight.com/competitions For more information on the event, see www.rbs6nations.com

Woody’s Ones to Watch
England Jonny Wilkinson, 24
It’ll be interesting to see how Jonny copes with the pressures of fame and everything else that comes with it.

France Dimitri Yachvili, 23
France are coming to a turning point, with a lot of their players getting pretty old, so it’ll be interesting to see how Yachvili copes at number 9.

Ireland Paul O’Connell, 24
This young lock has just come onto the world stage and could go on to great things.

Italy Gonzalo Canale, 21
I don’t know whether Canale’s going to be playing, but it’ll be interesting to see which player takes the lead because, like the French, there are a lot of players getting older now.

Scotland Simon Taylor, 24
You can expect Scotland to base an awful lot of their play around this number 8.

Wales Ceri Jones, 26
I’m delighted to see that the Harlequins player Ceri Jones has just been drafted into the squad. He’s a prop who’s been scoring tries at every available opportunity – he’s got six in the last five games – and I’ll be interested to see whether he gets the nod.