Six Nations/France v Wales:Bernard Laporte admitted this week that "the grand slam is within our grasp", but he and his France side enter tonight's match at the Stade de France aware that in each of the last two Six Nations campaigns Les Bleus have slipped up once against opposition weaker on paper.
Last winter's defeat at Murrayfield does not haunt the French quite as much as the few minutes of madness that led to defeat in their home stadium against Wales in 2005. On that occasion France were 15-6 up at half-time having dominated the first 40 minutes and were seemingly set fair until Martyn Williams scored a brace of tries immediately after the break.
"We shipped 14 points in four minutes and it can't but stay in your mind," said Laporte. "We should have put 40 past them and we lost; 15-6 ahead at half-time, nothing should have happened to us. It's incomprehensible. You can't afford to let them play. You have to get in their faces and go for them with your defence."
Christophe Dominici, the little wing who has been declared the captain of France's back line, has similar memories. "Our game was barren; we dominated for 60 or 70 minutes and our attack was feeble. Against teams like Wales you need a decent margin of security. They beat us two years ago and we had a hell of time beating them last year in Cardiff."
Perhaps with a touch of inverse psychology the Wales coach, Gareth Jenkins, said this week that France are no longer interested in back play. "They aren't playing open rugby. They are kicking more possession than they are running, driving all their lineouts and they are very comfortable about putting boot to ball, chasing, putting you under pressure."
Les Bleus have rotated three members of their pack, the prop Nicolas Mas earning his fifth cap in place of Pieter de Villiers as Laporte searches for a fourth front-row for the World Cup. Lionel Nallet replaces Pascal Pape at lock, and at number eight Sebastien Chabal gives way to Elvis Vermeulen.
Jenkins has reinstated the front row of Gethin Jenkins, Matthew Rees and Chris Horsman, with Ian Gough back in the second row and Tom Shanklin, Shane Williams and Lee Byrne returning among the backs.
But that spirit of two years ago will need to be reborn if Wales are to have the faintest sniff of a win tonight.
Guardian Service
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)