France hooker William Servat believes his side's fear of England will help inspire them to the RBS 6 Nations Grand Slam in Paris tonight.
England are all that stand between Les Bleus and securing their first Six Nations clean sweep since 2004.
While England have been below-par in this year's Six Nations, highlighted by a 15-15 draw with Scotland last weekend, France have not beaten them in their past three Six Nations battles while the bitter taste of a 34-10 defeat at Twickenham last year still remains.
‘Without even talking about the Grand Slam we fear the English. We fear what they do in all their matches and even more so against the French,’ Servat said.
‘They have a lot of physical commitment, and an enormous amount of concentration. They try to shatter their opponents so that they can make the difference in the final minutes.
‘We know that the English aren't coming here on holiday. We know that it will be an enormously physical game.’
The Toulouse hooker made his debut during France's last successful Grand Slam campaign in 2004 and is relishing the opportunity to make history once again.
‘I really like these kind of matches,’ continued Servat.
‘Sometimes you train your whole career to play matches like this one.
‘It's a chance that's been offered to us. It's up to us to seize it, and not to ruin it by bad preparation.
‘Today it (2004) is in the past and I really want to build the future.’
Servat revealed the French had been working harder than ever this week and believes they will only have themselves to blame if they lose.
‘It is certain that there has been more work, more seriousness, in preparing for this match than during last week,’ he said.
‘We are aware of the step we have taken but also of the efforts we still need to do to develop.
‘Today there is a feeling of expectation which has been caused by those around us.
‘More journalists are around than last week. There are a lot of things around the group that make everyone talk about the Grand Slam.
‘I only hope that this doesn't disturb us and that the players don't think about the entourage but rather about what's waiting for us on the pitch.
‘We have not won this match. The English are always there to annoy us and throw a spanner in the works. We saw it in the last two World Cups.
‘If we fail, it would be a stupid error on our part.’
