Quite apart from it being England - the side that everyone loves to beat in any sport - it gives the other teams the chance to measure themselves against the world's best outfit even if they have lost Martin Johnson to retirement and talismanic kicker Jonny Wilkinson to injury.
While Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan holds out hope England will be complacent and under-par without the latter pair, his England counterpart Clive Woodward denies they will be taking anything for granted even against rank outsiders Italy on February 15th.
"This is a tournament we want to win. I'll be picking a team to beat Italy, as simple as that," said the newly-appointed British and Irish Lions handler. "I don't see that playing Italy is any more difficult than playing Australia, especially away from home. They are the most physical team we will play in the Six Nations," added Woodward, who insists against the evidence that even without Johnson and Wilkinson England would still have won the World Cup.
However while England's rivals hope they enter the tournament in over-confident mood, other sides have their own World Cup psychological scars to heal. Among those are last year's Six Nations runners-up Ireland and 2002 Grand Slam champions France.
Ireland are still reeling from their 43-21 thrashing by the French in the quarter-finals while France have their own revenge to take after being outplayed and outfoxed by England in the semi-finals.
Both sides will have to do without the services of some of their most celebrated players with Keith Wood having hung up his boots.
On the French side the inspirational Fabien Galthie and hooker Raphael Ibanez have also called it a day.
"There is losing and losing badly and we left that match with a sick feeling at the bad fashion in which we had lost," said O'Sullivan, who will have to contend with a growing injury list which could include captain Brian O'Driscoll who is fighting to recover from a right hamstring injury.
France coach Bernard Laporte has been rearmed with a new four-year contract but realises that a poor tournament could see him lose several of his backroom staff, who have been placed on probation.
However Laporte, while admitting beating England in the last match would be the icing on the cake, acknowledges until the players take some responsibility themselves for their fitness then they will be chasing a lost cause. "There are three teams in the World better than us but we will close the gap eventually.
"However we can do that only if the players take the England squad example by being more aware of their fitness regime.
"We should change the way we think but it is not the club who can do that, it is the player - they have to be more professional," the 39-year-old said.
Of the Six Nations skippers only Colin Charvis of Wales survives from the World Cup and it is the Welsh, based on their successful campaign - running England to their stiffest examination before the final - who could well pose the biggest danger to England.
A successful tournament would give coach Steve Hansen the perfect send-off as he returns to his native New Zealand for a likely post as assistant to All Blacks coach Graham Henry, who was his predecessor in the Welsh job.
Certainly Hansen is bristling with confidence ahead of their opening showdown with the Scots but insists the gutsy defeats to England and the All Blacks will count for nothing if they don't reproduce that form again. "I thought the guys did well at the World Cup and I hope we can build on that," said the 44-year-old former police detective.
"I hope we can build on that and it's important that we don't take any backward steps in the next few weeks," added Hansen, who admits he doesn't tire of talking about the 28-17 defeat by England at the World Cup.
Scotland can hardly go into a tournament with lower expectations but having shed several of their fading stars - Bryan Repdath, Gregor Townsend and Kenny Logan all having retired - and with a new coach in Aussie Matt Williams in place there is fresh hope of a new Scots side.
Italy could win the Grand Slam every year if it was based on enthusiasm and the inner belief of their charismatic coach John Kirwan, but he will settle for two wins this time round - which would be a first since they were admitted to the Six Nations in 2000.
Kirwan wants his Italy squad to treat the Six Nations matches as if it were their first love affair. He also is demanding an Italian rugby team goes where none has gone before in the Six Nations and win an away match.
"What I tell the players, as Italians understand this sort of thing, is to treat the match as like the first time you ever fell in love.
"Obviously don't go kiss the opposing players but think of the emotion and commitment that was involved in the love affair and put that into the game."
The 39-year-old former All Black great believes the growing confidence within the squad makes it feasible they will also win two matches for the first time since they were admitted to the tournament in 2000.
"We should win the Grand Slam," quipped Kirwan, who took over from compatriot Brad Johnstone in May 2002.
"Obviously we have to think that way but realistically I am looking for a home and an away victory - against England and France of course!" he added with a hearty laugh.
Kirwan believes that such a target is attainable, though he admits there is still a way to go before his side is the finished article. "We are retaining the ball for longer periods and dominating very good teams for longer ... but we have to put that effort up to 80 minutes and kill them off," said Kirwan, who was an integral member of the All Blacks side that captured the inaugural World Cup in 1987.
"We have improved a lot and I see our level at 40 percent at the moment but we have the potential to improve even more and that is what I want to see at the Six Nations."
Key to this is a continued improvement in their disciplinary record which was dire during Johnstone's regime and again Kirwan sees light on the horizon. "I won't sanction cheating in any form nor yellow cards," he said. "But we are improving and that was illustrated with our average penalty count against us going down from 24 a match to eight at the World Cup.
"We are a tough team physically but I want that constrained to the right measures such as tackling, not underhand tactics."
Kirwan, though, is encouraged in the morale of the squad which he says has come on in leaps and bounds since he took over - Johnstone's tenure was marked by rumours of dressing room discord against the genial but tough Kiwi - and it is this that can keep them going through the tough times.
"The aura of self-belief is running through the squad and if we can maintain our confidence through the bad times in the Six Nations, and there will be some of those, then we will come out of it well," he said.
