BBC pundit Guscott is on hand to tackle your queries throughout the season

Former Bath, England and Lions centre Jeremy Guscott is back to answer your questions.

Among the topics Jerry discusses this week are:

- Who should replace the injured Lewis Moody as England captain in the Six Nations

- How Wales will cope without axed veteran flanker Martyn Williams

- Which of the eight quarter-finalists will lift the Heineken Cup

- Who the best centres Jeremy played with and against were

If you have any questions for Jerry, please use the postform on this page. He will answer as many as possible next week, but unfortunately not every question submitted can be used. This week's answers appear below.

Jerry, with Lewis Moody out injured for at least the first two games of the Six Nations, who do you think should captain England? Do you think the candidate should have the same qualities as Moody or should they bring something different to the role?
BBC Sport

Easter started all five matches in the 2009 Six Nations

I don't think Martin Johnson will look any further than Nick Easter to do the job. He captained against Samoa in the autumn and although England didn't perform very well he is the natural choice. Mike Tindall has been mentioned but Tinds sometimes struggles to play 80 minutes and I believe you need a captain on the field for the duration of the game.

Jeremy, I accept that a Six Nations winner is tough to call, but isn't a target of top two for Englandthe wrong mentality? I know I won't be happy with them coming second, so why would the Rugby Football Union (RFU) be? And I would be very worried if the players will be happy with that.
Dylan, Australia

Do you think it is fair that Martin Johnson has been told to finish at least second in the Six Nations? I was hoping for a Grand Slam before I was aware of Tom Croft and Courtney Lawes being injured. Those two, along with Ben Foden, Chris Ashton and Ben Youngs have taken England to a new level but the injuries will hinder that progress. I feel a bit more patience is required here before the RFU make such statements.
Ross Winsor, England

Hi Dylan and Ross, for England to be set a target to finish in the top two is a realistic target given they are the number four ranked team in the world. Tough, but realistic. Expectation after the autumn games, despite losing to South Africa, has been raised because we witnessed a performance against the Aussies that showed how well the team can perform.

England and the rest of the teams will be going flat out to win all their games. Patience at international level is a luxury that few teams have and shouldn't expect when it comes to winning. The England team now have to live with the pressure of expectation that hasn't existed over the last few Six Nations.

Do you think Wales have made a mistake by leaving out "Nugget" (Martyn Williams) who, regardless of his age, would give Wales a boost from the bench in the last third of a game as it opens up?
Phil, England

Veteran open-side Williams has 98 caps for Wales

I'm sure there'll be lots of questions about this. What do you think of the omission of Martyn Williams from the Wales squad? And what do you think of his chances of playing in the World Cup?
Matthew Lawton, Wales

Hi Matthew and Phil, Wales boss Warren Gatland must feel that he has sufficient firepower and good enough players in the back row not to include Williams in the squad. I wouldn't imagine that Williams is totally out of the picture, it will only take an injury or two and he could be back in.

Hi Jeremy, what do you think of the Welsh squad for the Six Nations? Pity it is not the full squad because of injured players, then we would be a very good side. England is the team to beat then we have a good chance, so I believe. I am Welsh by the way.
Brian Neale, Belgium

Hi Brian, I would never have guessed you were Welsh, I think the "we" gave it away! Being very honest, Wales have had a good squad of players over the past few seasons. Winning Grand Slams has proved this. Injuries haven't been kind but that's the rub of the green, you just have to get on with it. I would imagine there have been too many ups and downs and not enough consistency in Wales' performances for Gatland's, and the players', liking. The injuries have hurt Wales again at the start of this Six Nations campaign but they are not the only team to have this problem.

At this stage I will go for Leinster to win the Heineken Cup name here

Do you think that Wales' Six Nations chances have been ruined by their prop crisis? It appears that they are down to the bare bones in that department and may struggle to establish any quick ball from set plays to let their backs attack. England, despite the back row injuries, look as if they have have the chance to bully themselves to an opening win in Cardiff.
Richard Boon, England

Hi Richard, it would be nice to think England have a massive advantage with the two frontline props out injured for the game but it won't work out like that. I believe England's losses probably balance it all out.

Hi Jeremy. At this moment, who would be your favourites to lift the Heineken Cup? I would suggest Northampton because they have got the easiest draw to the final.
Felix Cunningham, Peterborough, England

Hello Jeremy. Now that all fixtures in the Heineken Cup are sorted, who do you think will go onto to win the Cup? I think it will be the winners of Leinster v Leicester!!!
Ian Mason, England

Hi Felix and Ian, how you guys like to put me on the spot! I have been impressed with a number of teams' performances, particularly Leinster. Their quarter-final is tough but the home advantage should be enough to beat Tigers although it's not a dead-cert win. Saints won't have an easy ride against Ulster but again home advantage is so important.

Toulon have done well to get to this stage but away to Perpignan will be too much for them - French teams rarely lose at home. As for Biarritz v Toulouse, I'd love to see Toulouse win (I think Biarritz are boring to watch most of the time) but again it's that home advantage that will make Biarritz favourites. At this stage I will go for Leinster to win the Heineken Cup.

Hi, Jerry. I've not seen anything of Leinster this season, but am aware of how well they are playing. Last week you didn't think my beloved Tigers had a cat in hell's chance away from home. Have you had second thoughts or will we be out in the quarters?
Dave T, England

Hi Dave, Tigers have a chance but if Leinster play at their best and Tigers do as well, I would go for Leinster. I would say Leinster have more firepower all over the team and having won it more recently, they have that experience over the Tigers too. It is far from a foregone conclusion though, and I expect a really hard-fought game, with Leinster pipping it.

Hi Jerry, after another blitzing performance from Sean O'Brien, where do you now see him fitting in with the Irish team for the Six Nations? He has played seven for Leinster before and I think it is time for Wallace to hang up his boots. Stephen Ferris, Jamie Heaslip, O'Brien.... what a back row!!!
Gareth Healey, Dublin, Ireland

O'Brien won an Under-20 Grand Slam with Ireland in 2007

Hi Gareth, I agree that O'Brien is playing well and the combination of the three you mention is outstanding. On form, you would think O'Brien might be worth the risk at seven. With the speed of O'Brien and Ferris, they could well play left and right.

In light of Delon Armitage's suspension, do you not think that an eight week ban is too heavy a punishment, considering equal length bans are given for much more grave offences by the citing commission?
Bryn Roberts, Scotland

Do you think it is a case of 'well done Delon, you have just lost any slim chance of a full-back starting slot at the World Cup'? Indiscipline on the field is one thing, petulance and aggression towards an official after a match is another, perhaps more sinister matter surely?
Seb, UK

Hi Bryn and Seb, it would be nice to know the entire facts but we don't so we can only surmise. Still, it does seem that Armitage has been very stupid and let his emotions dictate his behaviour during a simple process. The ban of eight weeks does appear to be a bit on the heavy side but we can't have players behaving unprofessionally during the very important process of drug testing.

Hi Jerry, I was at Thomond Park on Saturday and thought it was wonderful to have 25,000 supporters even though Munster were out of the Heineken Cup. What effect does such great support have on you as a player?
Frank, Munster, Ireland

Hi Frank, there is nothing better than playing in front of your home crowd, it's a huge benefit and all players revel in that atmosphere.

Jeremy, are you surprised that Marc Lievremont has left Mathieu Bastareaud out of his Six Nations squad given the impact he had on the competition last season?
Donal, Ireland

Bastareaud has been left out of the France squad

Hi Donal, to say I'm surprised would be an understatement but Lievremont is his own man. Bastareaud must be in absolutely terrible shape. He got his warning during the autumn internationals and it's clear he has kept on eating the pies and not worked on his fitness. I for one hope Bastareaud sorts himself out because he will be missed by us watching.

Hi Jeremy, I'm sure you're often asked "who is the best centre you played against?" but I believe good things come in pairs! Who would you rate as the best centre partnership you've seen and also your favourite centre partner and what makes them so special?
Sam, Cornwall

Hi Sam, to be honest I enjoyed playing rugby with all my centre partners and to pick a favourite would be unfair. I played a lot of games alongside Will Carling for England and enjoyed a lot of success. I think we might still hold the world record for centres that played together internationally. A partnership works well when you have an understanding and with Will, he was more the ball carrier into contact and I was the one who carried in space.

For Bath, I had partnerships with Simon Halliday and Phil de Glanville. With Hallers, it worked well because I was able to read his movement and be on the end of his breaks. De Glanville was similar. Scott Gibbs was a dream to partner, he did my tackling as well as his, which I always appreciated and the combination worked well. The best centre partnership I played against was that of Tim Horan and Jason Little for Australia. For the era they were both quick and hard defenders. Frank Bunce cannot go unmentioned as one of the toughest centres ever to play the game, alongside Philippe Sella.

Dear Jeremy, banter between teams and nations is part and parcel of rugby, long may it continue! So with the Six Nations almost upon us, and following on from your response where you suggested the "biggest act of sportsmanship you saw was the referee's decision to blow full-time" following' Wales defeat at Twickenham in 1998,I would just like to say, as a proud Welshman, that I'm looking towards the Millennium Stadium on 4 February and, in true Kevin Keegan style, that I would LOVE it if we beat England, LOVE it!
Martin Howells, Wales

Hi Martin, I bet you would! Good luck and may the best team win. I look forward to your comments after the match.

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