Top 5 Players to watch in the 2017 Six Nations

With the 6 nations less than a week, we take a look at the top 5 players that could make a big impression in this years competition. The list ranges from established starting 15 players to youngsters with the potential to light up the tournament. Enjoy and feel free to comment who else should've been included.

Henshaw has been a consistent performer for Ireland over the past couple of years and has been an essential cog in Joe Schmidt's ticking Irish clock. Hopefully he will be able to replicate his performance against the All Blacks for Ireland which will surely give them a good shot at the Grand Slam.

The rise of Itoje has been meteoric since he announced himself on the international status in the tournament last year. He continued his performance for club and country going on a run by going 31 games undefeated and securing his place as an integral part of Eddie Jones's England side. England fans will hope and believe that he can continue his rise by adding another grand slam to his honours. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, he's only 22-years-old.

In this years tournament France will be hoping to revitalize their status as a top team in world rugby. To do this they will look for a mixture of bold experience and exciting youth. This means that Gael Fickou will be thrown to the forefront of their charge to reestablish themselves as he offers them a pacey attacking threat. He is a great contrast to his center partner Mathieu Bastareaud who is pure brute force. I feel all fans would be nice for everyone to see the french back to their best.

Young has become a key talisman for London Wasps over the past couple of seasons, getting a large amount of turnovers and a dozen tries. He has earned his first call up to the Wales squad for this years tournament and a staking a claim for a starting spot in the back row. As a Wasps fan I am overwhelmed by the quality of Wasps back row and believe that Young can bring strong ball carrying and attack to Wales. However many fans may feel Youngs shares many traits with Justin Tipuric.

When Alex Lozowski left Wasps due to Cipriani's arrival many fans thought it maybe a great talent wasted by Wasps. They were proved right by him putting in brilliant performances for Saracens resulting in another call up. Lozowski could be a impact sub as he can be a utility back as he can play at 15 as well as 10. However he may not get his opportunity with the solidarity of Mike Brown. Hopefully for all England fans he can breakthrough into the match day squad and show his potential.