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In theory, this should be a simple assignment for Les Bleus, seemingly on an inexorable path towards the title and a potential Grand Slam, but Italy would love to inflict one of the great upsets in the championships history.
France are aware more than anyone else of their own reputation for inconsistency, and no doubt coach Marc Lievremont would have been showing replays of their last 40 minutes of test rugby, when Wales came within a whisker of winning at Millennium Stadium.

That game will remind the Tricolours of their own mortality, and while their final match with England will decide the championship, they will want to make a statement at the expense of an Italian team that will arrive in Paris with some belief, after downing Scotland in Rome.
Italy will try to make it awkward for their opponents, and in more thorough analysis it can be revealed that they have hardly been whipping boys this tournament, with the exception of their first half of rugby against Ireland.

They may still be struggling with their attack, but defensively they have the third best defence by points scored in the tournament, and have let in only four tries – with only France (three conceded) having the better record.
But where they have looked better is that it appears Coach Nick Mallet has dropped the “damage control limitation” game plan, and is actually encouraging his team to win.  Furthermore, they are embracing their natural awkwardness, proving in this tournament, as they did against the Tri Nations power last year; that they are a difficult team to play against.
Their only victory came in 1997 when Massimo Giovanelli led Italy to a remarkable 40-32 win at the Stade Lesdiguieres in Grenoble, France.  The incomparable Diego Dominguez converted all four Italian tries that day and kicked a further four penalties.  The best efforts of a strong French team, led by Fabien Pelous came to nothing as they became the first and only team to lose to the Italians.
France has named a strong side, although they continue to be hamstrung by injuries.  But despite this, they have a level of depth which shows that perhaps Lievremont’s selection policies were in fact the act of an inspired genius.
Only two changes have been made after their 26-20 win over Wales, with David Marty coming into the side forcing Mathieu Bastareaud to the bench.
Castres winger Marc Andreu takes over for Julien Malzieu of Clermont, while Biarritz number nine Dimitri Yachvili makes his return to the national side, coming in on the bench to replace the injured Frederic Michalak.
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Scotland head coach Eamon John insists their RBS 6 Nations clash with England on Friday is a winnable game.
John’s young team have already experienced a breakthrough year, becoming the first Scottish Under 20s side not to lose to France when they managed an 8-8 draw in the opening game.
And Scotland have made just one change to the starting lineup that broke another record against Italy – becoming the first Scottish Under 20 side to win away – scrum-half Alex Black replaces Kris Hamilton.
But John insists he has picked a team to win the match and backed his players to cause an upset and avenge last season’s 20-6 defeat.
He said: “We make the selection according to the opposition. We wanted to start quickly against Italy which is why we went with Kris but from an English point of view we need a bit more physicality at the start.
“England will be smarting over their Ireland result and have had a mixed campaign with a variety of players available at different times in the competition but when they have their top players on the field like they did against Wales they ran in five second-half tries.
“Any team in any sport is always beatable. It’s up to us to get it right.
“We respect England who will have players with under-20 World Cup final experience – but we’re going to go out there to do a job on them and make life uncomfortable in Glasgow.”
SCOTLAND: Tom Brown, Oliver Grove, Jonny Kennedy, Alex Dunbar, Dougie Fife, Alex Blair, Alex Black, Nicky Little, Alun Walker, Colin Phillips, Matthew Reid, Robert Harley, Michael Maltman, Stuart McInally, David Denton
Replacements: Lindsey Gibson, George Hunter, Aaron Hall, Callum Stidston-Nott, Kris Hamilton, Matthew Scott, James Johnstone
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Wales coach Warren Gatland knows better than most the qualities that will have taken Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll to a century of caps for his country when the two sides meet in the Six Nations rugby at Croke Park on Saturday.
"I gave him his first cap, and it was an honour for me to be involved with him with the Lions last year to see how he has developed," Gatland said on Wednesday. "I was incredibly impressed with his leadership and his understanding of the game.
"He was one of the main reasons Jamie Roberts ended up having such a good tour.
"He deserves all the accolades, and I will be one of the first to stand up in the coaching box on Saturday and clap him," Gatland, whose time in charge of the two Celtic nations was separated by a successful spell as coach of English giants Wasps.
"I am absolutely delighted for him and proud I have had an association with him," Gatland added.
O’Driscoll, who a match after prop John Hayes became the first player to win 100 Ireland caps, becomes only the 13th player in rugby union history to notch up a hundred Tests’ worth of national service, has enjoyed a glittering career.
The Leinster legend has captained Ireland on 63 occasions and last year led his country to their first Grand Slam since 1948 while winning the European Cup with his provincial side.
But the match that made world rugby sit-up and take notice of his singular talent was in 2000 when O’Driscoll, just two months after his 21st birthday, scored a hat-trick of tries against a France side featuring Emile Ntamack and Abdel Benazzi as Ireland enjoyed a rare victory in Paris.
"That is my greatest memory of Brian – the hat-trick of tries he scored when Ireland beat France in Paris for the first time in 27 years," said Gatland, whose opinion was soon endorsed by one of rugby union’s most gifted centres.
"I remember the French great Philippe Sella coming into the changing room to congratulate him afterwards and saying it was one of the most impressive centre performances he had ever seen."
And Wales flanker Martyn Williams, the visiting captain this weekend in place of the injured Ryan Jones, said the passing of the years had done little to dim fellow Lion O’Driscoll’s ability.
"Brian is without doubt the best player in the northern hemisphere over the last decade, and probably one of the greatest ever," said Williams. "For me, there is nothing he can’t do.
"A lot of players maybe are really good defenders and have great passing skills, but he’s got the complete package.
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Warren Gatland will tomorrow depart from routine and host Wales’s final media conference before Saturday’s Six Nations match against Ireland at Croke Park, after finding himself the subject of personal attacks in Irish newspapers.
Gatland, who was sacked by Ireland in 2001 after three years in charge, was described by Vincent Hogan of the Irish Independent as being "as rational as a menopausal warthog" and accused of harbouring a "toxic personal agenda" against Irish rugby. The former Ireland second-row Neil Francis called him "puerile" and said the New Zealander could be out of a job in the summer.
This is the third time Gatland has prepared Wales to face Ireland. The only other time he has presented a media conference the day before a game, a task he usually leaves to his assistants, was before the fixture in Cardiff last year when he had caused a furore by suggesting his players disliked the Irish more than any other side in the Six Nations.
"I, like the rest of the Wales coaching staff and players, have broad shoulders and we are more than capable of rising above this kind of self-perpetuating attempt at controversy," said Gatland. "We should treat this with the disdain in which it is offered and I urge true Welsh and Irish rugby fans not to let anything that has been written affect the respect and friendship they share for each other. It does not deserve to impact on what will be a great weekend."
Gatland has been complimentary to Ireland this week – in the last two years he has not been afraid to provoke a response. Wales were chasing the title then but two defeats in three matches this year have left them needing a win to avoid going into the last weekend as candidates for the wooden spoon.
"We know it is going to be tough against Ireland," said Gatland. "We need to be more clinical. There will be a lot of emotion about, with Brian O’Driscoll winning his 100th cap, but it is exciting and I am looking forward to it. We need to improve our decision-making, not putting ourselves under pressure by playing too much rugby from the start. We should not be afraid to go into half-time at 3-3 or 6-6 because, as the game breaks up in the second half, we will create chances. We are in great shape physically and we are strong at the end of games. We must just stop giving away soft points.
"We do not want to be conservative. We want to play expansive rugby but we just have to be a bit smarter. It would be easy to revert to a tighter game plan but it is harder to go the other way and suddenly become expansive, as England have found. They have been unsuccessful when playing a wider game because they have no experience of it. Attack is costing us at the moment but it will come."
The Gloucester chairman, Tom Walkinshaw, and his fellow shareholder Martin St Quinton have pumped more than £2.5m into the club after it posted a loss of nearly £670,000 in the last financial year, compared with a £209,000 profit a year before.
"Trading has been poor and we needed to do something about it," said Walkinshaw. "We have no idea how the economy will perform in the next year and we now have some clear headroom."
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England now have a couple of weeks to regroup and prepare for the mustwin game against France at Stade de France.
The destiny of the championship is, to some extent, still in their own hands. If England can beat both Scotland and France in their final two games then points difference could be crucial.
Ireland’s ability to score tries, three to be precise, was a shining example for England, if ever they needed one, of where they are falling short.
Jonny Wilkinson will always be able to keep the score ticking over with his boot, however the indents that penalties make need to be supported by the greater blows inflicted by tries.
Indeed, Wilkinson was the best of England’s backs on Saturday and their performance was benefited by the introduction of the lively Ben Foden in the second half.
It was good to see a player in an England jersey whose first instinct was to attack and his incisive play should be rewarded with a greater opportunity against Scotland.
I presume his replacement Paul Hodgson was brought on to shore up the defence, but unfortunately that never happened. Care seemed to have grown into the game by the time he was taken off but perhaps his industrious afternoon in muddy conditions had caught up with him.
While England are now looking at another twoweek hiatus, I’ve strapped the lycra back on for the penultimate stage of the Dallaglio Cycle Slam. A tricky 410km ride from Twickenham to Fishguard via Cardiff’s Millenium Stadium will set up the final leg, but there is a lot of pedalling to be done before I can even begin to think about the finish line.
In total I’m cycling 2,800km from Rome to Murrayfield, taking in Paris, Twickenham, Cardiff and Dublin along the way.
A crazy idea I know, however it’s all in aid of Sport Relief and the Dallaglio Foundation, so well worth the physical challenge.
Follow my progress on www.dallagliocycleslam.com I’ll look ahead to the game with Scotland in next week’s column.
England will have to bounce back quickly to keep their championship hopes alive but one thing’s for sure, the fat lady hasn’t sung just yet.
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IT says much about the transformation of Geordan Murphy’s international fortunes that he’s keeping Lions Test star Rob Kearney out of the Ireland team to face Wales this weekend.
Despite being recognised as one of the most naturally talented players in British rugby, the Leicester full-back was frequently overlooked by O’Sullivan, who tended to prefer the more prosaic qualities of the solid yet far from spectacular Girvan Dempsey.
When Kearney was ruled out of last month’s game against England with a knee problem, it was Murphy who Kidney turned to.
That was despite the fact he’d only made one start for the Tigers after a five-month layoff with a shoulder injury.
He responded with a fine display in the 20-16 victory at Twickenham and has kept his place for Saturday’s Croke Park clash, even though Kearney is now available again, with the Lions ace having to make do with a spot on the bench.
“Rob looked fantastic in training and I thought if he was fit and he was picked I couldn’t have any gripes because he was the guy in possession of the shirt when he got injured.
“I think that’s the way sport is. It generally goes back. So I’m really pleased to be in. I’ve been happy with the way I’m playing.
“I was thrown into the England match with not a lot of game-time, but it went OK and I went and played again for Leicester at the weekend and I was happy with how that went.
“I think I’ve still got a little more to go, but I’m really enjoying it, that’s the main thing, especially having been on the outside for so long. It’s nice to be back involved.”
Asked whether his confidence had been sapped by the previous Ireland regime, he replied: “I don’t know.
“When I picked up my shoulder injury in September I was worried about my place in the squad.
“I fully expect to see Rob on the field this weekend, he’s too good of a player to not be out there. He’s world class.
“But I’ve got to try and play as well as I can and let management make those decisions.
“I’ve always said I want to play in a green shirt and I want to do my best. If I’m an asset then hopefully I’ll get picked. I’ve just got to keep trying to do as well as I can.
“Everyone’s been saying they’re not playing that well , but some of the tries they’ve scored have been some of the best you’ll see in the Six Nations.
“They’re dangerous across the board and when they get to play they have great players like Shane Williams who can score a try from absolutely nothing.
“They’ll probably try and raise that again and they’ve got no fears coming to Croke Park. It’s going to be a very tough match.”
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New boy of France Marc Andreu says he is unfazed by making his first international start as his country go for a Grand Slam against Italy in their Six Nations rugby clash in Paris this Sunday.
The Castres winger is the surprise name in Marc Lievremont’s starting line-up following his debut for Les Bleus against Wales in Cardiff two weeks ago.
 "I now have to stay focused and continue to train well this weekend to be at the top of my game on Sunday.
Andreu made his bow for the France team in a three-minute cameo appearance as a substitute against Wales a fortnight ago.
"That was a first step. I’m now in the starting line-up against a fine Italy side that are having a great tournament.
"For my first start, I’m going to try and perform well so I can stay in this squad that is packed full of top players."
"This does not bother me at all. On the contrary. It should be seen as a strength and not as a weakness. I have always been small and it has never posed me any problems. I’ll play to my qualities to beat my opponents," Andreu said.
That has been shown this season as the winger has become a key part of the Castres team, the surprise leaders of the Top 14 league, starting 20 times and scoring five tries in all competitions.
Born in the town of Frejus on the Cote d’Azur, Andreu grew up in southwest France in a small town outside Bordeaux.
But the pacey winger could well have been lining up for another French national team alongside Thierry Henry and Yoann Gourcuff: he spent his early teenage years concentrating on his football and played in the same youth team as Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh.
He took up rugby seriously at the age of 15 and later signed for Toulon in 2002.
In his seven-year spell with the southern club, Andreu became known for his lightning speed and mazy running with the ball, winning call-ups to France’s Sevens and university sides.
Now Andreu is fulfilling a long-time dream in turning out for the full national team against the Italians.
"All kids who start playing rugby dream of one day playing for the French team and even one day appearing in the Six Nations," he said.
Italy have a wretched record in the tournament, having notched up only their seventh-ever win in ten years against Scotland a fortnight ago.
Yet Andreu is refusing to underestimate the threat they pose.
"We’ll have to take the Italians very seriously after they beat Scotland. They played well against England and Ireland so we must be very careful," he said.
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Scotland will target this game as their “championship” having not won a single match in 2010.  While their final game against Ireland will be intense, to beat their oldest enemy would put them in the winner’s circle, but more importantly, will scuttle any hopes England have of winning the Six Nations rugby 2010.
Andy Robinson and his side will want to again take steps forward.  They were on the right path, being competitive against France and dominating Wales for most of the game.  But the loss to Italy in Rome was damaging coming into this game for two key reasons.
Again the spectre of being unable to score tries reared its head, with the Italians keeping their try line intact.  But worse still is that England will in all their glorified pragmatism know that they need not do anything particular intricate to beat a Scottish side that is slowly growing, but still seemingly missing the necessary munitions needed to win them a test match.
Still, while England march up North with a stronger record in this tournament, and with a stronger looking match day squad, this is far from a guarantee of any success.  Far more impressive English sides than Martin Johnson’s current hybrid have come to Murrayfield and lost.  
Much of Scotland’s ability to succeed in what is only their second and final home game in 2010 will come down to belief.  Any confidence they had carefully built up since Robinson came on board would have evaporated with their loss to the Azzurri.
But they can compete, and will need to heed their coach’s call to be ruthless against England.  Scotland’s two domestic sides, both who are in the top four of the Magners League, showed that Scottish rugby is stronger than their mediocre recent international record suggests.  
Captain Chris Cusiter himself said that the creating and hard work is being done by the team, it is just a case of being more clinical to finish moves – and by association matches – off.
Crucial to their hopes will be their Glasgow spine, with their entire back row and numbers 9, 10, 11 and 12 in the backline all being Warriors.  These combinations should ensure a little more cohesiveness on the field, and that could be the difference between the two sides.
Certainly the Scottish pack is strong enough to resist anything the English throw at them.
For England, they have made only two changes, bringing in Wasps flanker Joe Worsley and Tigers second rower Louis Deacon.  
With their backline retained from their loss against Ireland, it is now or never for what is England’s front line three quarter division.  A loss here, coupled with another directionless display from their on-field tacticians, should increase the cadence – and rightly so – for Johnson to look elsewhere for men to wear the red rose.
England does have the superior record overall against the teams, including winning nine of the last 12.  But since 2006 the ledger stands at 2 wins apiece.  
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Wales full back Lee Byrne is gunning for Ireland and second place in the RBS Six Nations 2010.
The 29-year-old has been stunned by his country’s bad luck in the championship, narrow losses to England and France just one score away from being victories.
But Byrne insists Wales can go to Croke Park this Saturday  and upset the Irish in their bid for a Triple Crown.
‘We’ve got nothing to fear there,’ said Byrne.
‘It’s been a very  odd year for us – both matches we lost we could have won and the match we won, we should have lost.
‘The one thing about us is our fitness – we have some strong in the last 20 minutes of every match we have played.
‘All we need to do now is start a bit stronger. Ireland are a very good side! but then again so are we.’
Victory in their final two games – against Ireland and Italy – will mean they cannot be overhauled by Scotland, Ireland or Italy with England having already lost a game as well.
‘Second place is our goal now and that would be great given the start we had.’
Byrne himself has had a Six Nations in the spotlight. Initially suspended because of the ’subgate’ fiasco when he became the 16th player on the pitch for Ospreys in the Heineken Cup against Leicester, he was able to play when the ban was lifted at the last minute.
Then he was accused of deliberately falling over under pressure when chasing a ball against Scotland, resulting in the Scot being sin binned and the penalty from which the Welsh drew level seconds from time.
They went on to grab an injury-time try through Shane Williams to beat the 13 men in blue.
Byrne, who had earlier scored a try, insisted he WAS tripped by Godman and that his opponent got what he deserved.     
The former Bridgend union and league player has joined up with RBS RugbyForce promoting the sport at grassroots level.
He said: ‘I came through the grassroots system so it means a lot to me to put something back.  I’m happy to get involved with this because it means so much to so many people – including me.
‘My days at Bridgend were really enjoyable and I made a lot of friends – I try and get back there whenever I can.
‘RBS RugbyForce is spreading the word and the more people involved in the game the better for it – and the Wales team of course!’
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BRIAN O’Driscoll has had more than a decade in which to become accustomed to being Irish rugby football’s golden boy.
He has won European rugby’s biggest prizes at club and international level, with his straining-beneath-the-weight personal trophy cabinet including Heineken Cup and Grand Slam mementoes.
Some of the mere mortals who pay to watch Ireland’s oval ball superstar do so dressed in T-shirts extolling him. ‘BOD Almighty.’ One was on view at Twickenham on February 27, his face emblazoned upon the green cotton fabric for the benefit of anyone unable to decipher who BOD might be. Those requiring such help must lead very sheltered lives, for O’Driscoll is the best-known exponent of the game on the planet.
Paul O’Connell, who knows more than most about going in where it hurts, said: “He takes unbelievable punishment for a guy who would be considered to be a flamboyant player. He takes unbelievable punishment in the tackle and the ruck.
“He has set a standard for players across the board. He’s a complete player and that’s what everybody aspires to be — the complete player, both in defence and attack.”
If O’Driscoll feels burdened by the weight of expectation resting upon him, he does not allow it to show. That is another of his many strengths. Calm in a crisis.
But even by the levels of fuss and acclamation with which he is familiar, this is an exceptional week for an exceptional player. For on Saturday, two weeks after John Hayes became its founder, O’Driscoll will join the Munster tighthead as the second member of Irish Rugby’s 100 Cap Club.
O’Driscoll himself said: “When you get your first cap it’s such a huge honour. I was such a young age; I was 20.
“At the start it’s about winning as many caps as possible and then your mindset changes and you want to win as many times as possible in getting those caps. It’s about winning individual games.
“Then you get selfish and you want to start winning trophies, but you don’t really look at things and think, ‘Oh one day to attain 100.’ You just keep playing.”
He admitted that in recent years there have been moments when he has thought, “the next game in a green jersey could be my last. I don’t think you can go too far wrong if you have that attitude.”
“I love going training every day and I love playing, though obviously there are parts of the job that I wouldn’t love. But getting on the pitch and getting to exercise every day for a living is pretty good,” he said.
“When you look at the greatest players of all time they have always said that there is always room for improvement.”
Citing Gareth Edwards and Dan Carter as greats O’Driscoll added: “These guys were always working on certain aspects of their game.
“The second I think that I have it cracked it will be time to hang my boots up because you’ve lost the plot.”
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