Yachvili eager to make his point

England's tormentor in chief Dmitri Yachvili returns to the France side to play in Twickenham this weekend, confident in his fitness and his ability to fend challengers to his position ahead of the World Cup.

The 26-year-old has scored a total of 53 points in the last three meetings between the French and the world champions in the Six Nations. Les Bleus have won all three of those games.

After missing the opening three games in this season's tournament, Yachvili is aiming to lay down a marker to the likes Pierre Mignoni, who played the first three games at scrumhalf, and Jean-Baptiste Elissalde.

Yachvili, of Georgian descent, is also eager to ease worries about his fitness.

"It is true that I am lacking competition, but that has allowed me to work on things that I couldn't have during match weeks," says the scrumhalf. "It has also allowed me to recharge my batteries a bit because I have played a lot for Biarritz since the start of the season.

"I am well in my head, so I am not worried." Not even about Mignoni's emergence from the shadows?

"No, it's a good thing," said Yachvili, who also has Elissalde as a rival for the scrumhalf berth this autumn. "That motivates me even more, it gives me a desire to push myself to the limit and win back my place. There have been three of us for a long time.

"Two years ago, it was Pierre who started the Six Nations. Competition is what makes you improve.

"There is competition at scrumhalf, but there is also competition in all the positions. It's good for the team."

Yachvili will have outhalf David Skrela alongside him on Sunday - the 29th different half-back partnership under Laporte in his near-eight years in charge.

The Mignoni-Skrela combination has been strong in the opening three Six Nations games; now it is Yachvili's turn to forge an understanding.

"It will be the first match we will have played together, but it is going well and we have trained well this week.

"As professionals, you must be able to play with whoever. We adapt very quickly."

Both players are strong with the boot, and Yachvili confided there has not been a decision about who will do the kicking.

Given his recent history against England in that department, Yachvili could well get the nod.

"As far as I am concerned, I want to kick," he said.