6N History (2000-05): 2nd, 5th, 1st (Grand Slam), 3rd, 1st (Grand Slam), 2nd (Wales' win in Paris denied them a third Grand Slam in four years).

Coach: Bernard Laporte. A feisty scrum-half, Laporte instilled discipline after taking over in 1999, but team are still prone to inconsistency. World Cup on home soil his prime focus.

Age: 32 Caps: 102 Tries: 7

Captain: Fabien Pelous. Only the fifth member of rugby's 100-cap club and a warrior in the Martin Johnson mould.

Big man: Jerome Thion (6ft 6in) took over as captain when Pelous (also 6ft 6in) was banned during the autumn, but the burly locking duo will be reunited in Six Nations combat.

Brains and brawn: The French team are big on chess tournaments when they are together in camp, in which centre Yannick Jauzion, a graduate in engineering, is usually the one shouting '�chec et mat!' ('check-mate').

Maso's marvellous barnet is a classic Hair-raising barnets

Bad hair day: Toulouse wing Cedric Heymans would not need a straw boater for the Henley Regatta, but team manager Jo Maso takes the honours in the bouffon stakes.

Southern intruders: South Africa-born duo Pieter de Villiers (50 caps) and Brian Liebenberg (12 caps) like boeuf bourguignon as much as biltong these days.

Est-ce-que tu me regardes?

Enforcer: Serge Betsen. 'Aggressive defence' doesn't do justice to the Cameroon-born blind-side, the scourge of fly-halves - ask Jonny Wilkinson. Phenomenal athlete.

Bogey fixture: No defeats in Edinburgh or Cardiff for a decade; only one, Brian O'Driscoll-induced, home loss to Ireland in 34 years. But England know how to win in Paris.

Prospects: A third Grand Slam in five years should be within their grasp if the key forwards fire and the mercurial Frederic Michalak keeps his head behind the scrum.

Odds to win title: 6-5 favourites, 7-4 for Grand Slam.