The year ahead (January-June)

2013 is upon us, and what with it being the start of the year I thought there would be no better time previewing the next 12 months of the sporting calendar. This year might not be likely to reach the golden highs of 2012, but there are still some amazing highlights to look forward to with this post covering the first six months.

Later on this month, the first tennis Grand Slam event of the year takes place as Andy Murray seeks to add an Australian Open title to his US title he won in September 2012. The winner of the previous two Australian Opens has been Serbian Novak Djokovic and will be looking the make it a three-in-a-row this time around whilst Roger Federer will be looking to add to his record haul of 17 Grand Slam single titles. Missing from the party though is the clay expert Rafael Nadal, who won the Australian title in 2009, after the Spaniard withdrew due to a stomach virus. Defending champion Djokovic is the bookie's favourite to win another Australian Open, but I believe in the Scot. Murray has always been there or there abouts in Melbourne and the confidence he took from his Olympic success to go on to win his first Grand Slam in New York is still present.

February sees the beginning of rugby's Six Nations, with this year's tournament carrying extra importance for players of the home nations with Lions tour to Australia later in the year. Last year's Grand Slam champions Wales haven't won a game since the tournament, a slump which saw them slip to 9th in the world. Fly-half Rhys Priestland has been ruled out of the tournament already, which could hit Wales' hopes of defending their title but they have been boosted by news that influential flanker Dan Lydiate, who broke his ankle in September, may be able to feature in the tournament after making a remarkable recovery. Under Stuart Lancaster, England have been improving over the last 12 months and their victory over New Zealand last time out will give them confidence going into a competition they could well win, with perhaps France being their biggest rivals. Scotland may surprise a few people,as they are playing without much expectation after a horrible end to 2012 and may be inclined to throw the ball around a bit more than they do. After a much improved performance against Argentina, there are many thinking Ireland could do something in the tournament, but I for one am not part of that group. Coach Declan Kidney made one change for the team, and granted Craig Gilroy done well, but he will think that after beating a fatigued Argentinian side everything is now rosy. It could be a tough spring for the boys from the Emerald Isle.

Arguably the biggest events in March and April are both to do with horse racing, with the Cheltenham Festival taking place in the third month of the year and Grand National less than a month later. Unfortunately my horse racing knowledge isn't the best, and for fear of embarrassing myself I'll leave the previewing of these events to those more in the know. The only thing is for certain is that I will, more than likely, be severely out of pocket by May.

May is also the month where the football season comes to a head. Manchester United, currently seven points clear at the top of the Premier League, will more than certainly still be involved in the title race and for my money will probably be crowned league champions of England for the 20th time. The month will also see two cup finals played at Wembley, the FA Cup final and the Champions League final. The FA Cup is often unpredictable and many fancied teams can be swiftly knocked out by opposition who have been touched by the magic of the cup so I feel there would be little use in trying to predict the winner. For the Champions League, however, I really fancy Borussia Dortmund. Already a fair distance of top spot in the German League, that should allow them to focus most of their energy on winning Europe's top prize and with a talented squad at Jurgen Klopp's disposal, many are tipping them to challenge Europe's best.

June sees the start of the aforementioned Lions tour, and I think there is a solid chance the world's most famous tourists can win their first series for 16 years. I know it's a long way off and a lot can change, but here's my starting XV if the first game against Australia was tomorrow:
1)   Cian Healy (c)
2)   Dylan Hartley
3)   Dan Cole
4)   Geoff Parling
5)   Richie Gray
6)   Dan Lydiate
7)   Steffon Armitage
8)   Toby Faletau
9)   Mike Phillips
10) Jonny Sexton
11) George North
12) Jamie Roberts
13) Manu Tuilagi
14) Tommy Bowe
15) Rob Kearney
Some would say this is a physical XV, but I would use the term "dynamic". Some may also question the choice of Healy as captain, but in my opinion he has come so far over the past two seasons and has become a leader at both club and international level, and his performances are of such a quality that they should inspire those around him to similar heights.