The Sunday Telegraph's Paul Ackford backs France to claim this year's Six Nations crown.
"And what of France, always there or thereabouts? In recent times France have been the most consistent of performers, which is rather bizarre given their reputation for inconsistency; more so as new coach Philippe Saint-André has identified their flippy-floppy nature as the one pressing issue he seeks to fix.
"The stats say otherwise, however. France have won five of the last 10 championships, including three Grand Slams, a fine record compared to Wales (twice), England (twice), Ireland (once) and Italy and Scotland (nowhere near) over the same period.
"Recent aberrations against Italy in last season’s Six Nations and Tonga at the World Cup are an indication of the expectations shouldered by what is invariably an accomplished and successful rugby side. Only New Zealand (and England without the justification) carry a similar burden into contests.
"The ingredients are there for France to prosper again. Their scrummage is never less than competitive, Julien Bonnaire brings a line-out expertise as sophisticated as any in Europe; Morgan Parra, Dimitri Yachvili, Francois Trinh-Duc and Lionel Beauxis are, by some distance, the most accomplished quartet of half-backs in the tournament and the rest of the backs know how to finish."
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