The Autumn Internationals begin in earnest this weekend, with Ireland vs New Zealand, England vs Australia and Scotland vs South Africa as the highlights.
Here are our selections for the matches at the Aviva, Twickenham and Murrayfield.
- IRELAND TO WIN BY 8-14 POINTS VS NEW ZEALAND
- AUSTRALIA +10 VS ENGLAND
- SOUTH AFRICA BY 6-10 POINTS VS SCOTLAND
Ireland vs New Zealand
The perfect way to open the programme, Friday evening's match in Dublin marks the first time Ireland have met New Zealand since the Kiwis' 28-24 win in the quarter-finals of last year's World Cup.
Johnny Sexton's comments about Rieko Ioane's post-match behaviour add to the spice, but as well as playing at home, the hosts have another huge advantage.
The Friday night kick-off means New Zealand only have a six-day turnaround from their bruising 24-22 win over England. In contrast, most of Ireland's squad hasn't played for at least a fortnight and will be primed and ready to go.
Scott Robertson's touring party ranks low in the all-time list of AB squads but their win at Twickenham was another example of them doing the basics right, staying in games and exploiting opposition errors.
They can do the same at the Aviva, but not having a full week to recover for such a big game is ridiculous and Ireland's fresh legs can carry them to a decent win.
IRELAND TO WIN BY 8-14 POINTS VS NEW ZEALAND
England vs Australia
While New Zealand were ruthless, England also squandered a winning position and missed late chances to make amends.
Steve Borthwick's decision to bring George Ford, who has struggled with injury, on for Marcus Smith in what looked like a pre-planned change prompted criticism. However, he has retained the same XV - barring a tactical tweak in the centres with Henry Slade and Ollie Lawrence swapping shirts - and included winger Ollie Sleightholme among the replacements.
That side should be good enough to beat an Australian team that won just one of their six matches in the Rugby Championship and is still finding its way under Joe Schmidt.
With the British & Irish Lions heading Down Under next summer, the Wallabies need to get things going.
Although they will likely lose, England's inability to close out games and score points in the final quarter means the tourists are worth backing with a 10-point start.
AUSTRALIA +10 VS ENGLAND
Scotland vs South Africa
Scotland sparkled in their 57-17 win against an underpowered Fijian side last Saturday.
Like the Fijians, Gregor Townsend had to deal with some critical absentees due to the fixture falling outside the international window, but 'Toonie' can recall the likes of Finn Russell and Blair Kinghorn for Sunday's game with South Africa.
That said, Darcy Graham, who ran in four tries, misses out through concussion, and the mind games have begun, with Springbok boss Rassie Erasmus deciding against his usual policy of naming his team on a Tuesday instead opting for the more familiar Friday reveal.
Whatever he decides, Erasmus is unlikely to err from his preferred 'Bomb Squad' approach and it could be the bench that wins it for the Springboks.
Rassie went for a six-two split in his team's 18-3 World Cup win over the Scots and the same approach is likely following comments from the South Africans about how gruelling they found that game in Marseille.
The hosts are likely to come out fast, but South Africa are expected to finish faster, and an away win by 6-10 points appeals.
SOUTH AFRICA BY 6-10 POINTS VS SCOTLAND
