SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP/England v France: Some ancient fixtures go out of fashion but England versus France remains perpetually in vogue. "French people and English people don't like each other," sighed France's team manager Jo Maso yesterday. "It's a lasting fact since the Hundred Years War, since Joan of Arc." Or Paris last year, for those with rather shorter memories.
Even Clive Woodward, who has tried resolutely to rise above the traditional cross-Channel hype, fell at the final pre-match hurdle when asked for his Valentine's Day opinion of the visiting team.
"I don't think this is a team of angels we're playing against and nor are we," muttered England's head coach, refusing to agree that France are now more disciplined than most Test sides. Both sides are up for today's Twickenham rendezvous, the 80th between the two teams, and it shows.
Even stripped of historical perspective, these two attack-minded teams would still quicken the pulse of even the dourest neutral, and the losers, as Woodward concedes, will be facing a depressingly long tournament.
The winners, in contrast, will sense all kinds of opportunities, not just between now and April but at this autumn's World Cup, when the two could meet again in the semi-finals.
Woodward's assistant coach, Phil Larder, cut straight to the heart of the matter. "After the autumn series there was a poll of international captains who picked their best world team and there were 10 Frenchmen in it," he says.
"South Africa came out at Twickenham like cornered rats and caused problems because of their physicality and direct approach, but these guys play in almost the opposite way. They ping the ball about and if you leave them gaps they are through them. They've probably got the world's best scrumhalf and I think their support play is the best in the world."
Furthermore, despite the drug-related loss of Pieter de Villiers, France fancy their chances in the set scrums and the lineouts, not to mention the loose, where their back row trio of Serge Betsen, Imanol Harinordoquy and Olivier Magne are pure French mustard.
"They complement each other," admits Andy Robinson, England's forwards coach. "Betsen works hard at the coal face, Harinordoquy's a basketball-type athlete and Magne has performed at the highest level for many years.
"They've also been helped by the fact their front five has given them a real platform to play off. But we've got an outstanding pack and back line too. Lewis Moody has been awesome in every game he's played and is getting better. You know what you're going to get from Richard Hill, and look how Neil Back has responded to not being selected against New Zealand. Our players are relishing this game, but we've got to compete against them as a team."
The natural desire to provide Jason Leonard with happy memories of his 100th England cap should mean France will struggle to match the home side's determination.
Some crucial question-marks still hover over England, though, despite their 18-match unbeaten Twickenham record. Can stand-in scrumhalf Andy Gomarsall get the better of Fabien Galthie? Can Charlie Hodgson shine in his new midfield role? And will those provocative anti-English comments by Harinordoquy last week have any effect?
"We've all read it and taken everything on board but we'll let the team do the talking on the field," says Woodward evenly. "I'm sure the English crowd will let them know what they think about the various comments."
• Guardian Service
