Honours: 6 Nations Grand Slam (2010, 2004, 2002), Five Nations Grand Slam (1968, 1977, 1981, 1987, 1997, 1998), Six Nations winners (Five times), Five Nations winners (12 outright, eight shared), World Cup runners-up (1987, 1999).
Last year Six Nations 2010: Les Bleus claimed another Grand Slam in 2010 with a pragmatic approach as their defence rather than their much-heralded attack was the key to success. It's tough to criticise a faultless record - and France really were head and shoulders above the opposition - but they hardly set Europe's stadiums alight with the flair that many had hoped for. With a stable squad - for once - France were able to put an efficient yet ruthless gameplan together. A dominant win at Murrayfield set the tone for the rest of the tournament. A week later Ireland's twelve-match winning streak was swept aside in Paris as the hosts won 33-10. The writing was on the wall after two intercept tries in the first half set up victory in Cardiff. A drubbing of Italy at the Stade de France set up a showdown with the old enemy on the final day but England fell just short in Paris despite the French not being able to cross the whitewash.
This year Six Nations 2011: If the start of 2010 was near-perfect, the rest of the year was a disaster and coach Marc Lièvremont has admitted that les Tricolors have a lot of catching up to do to regain the form of last year's tournament. Yet they have all the ingredients for a world-beating team, including arguably the best scrum in Europe. Their coach has promised to return to a consistent selection policy and has recalled a few stalwarts. If they gel, another title is well within reach. But France do not have a favourable draw. Only two home games and trips to London and Dublin make for a tough task. As World Cup outsiders, the 2011 Six Nations looms as a decisive tournament for France.
Coach Six Nations 2011: Former France loose forward Marc Lièvremont took over from Bernard Laporte after the 2007 World Cup. As assistants Lièvremont brought former Toulouse full-back and France team-mate Emile Ntamack (backs) and Didier Retière (forwards) onboard to reform the trio that lead France to the U21 World Cup title. As a departure from Laporte's strictly disciplined approach, Lièvremont promised to bring back some of the flair that had made French rugby famous, giving the players more leeway to take a more positive, pragmatic approach to decision making. After chopping and changing and handing over 50 different players caps in his first 18 months in charge, Lièvremont finally started to settle on a core group of players and claimed the 2010 Grand Slam. The consistency was short-lived however as more experimentation lead to a disastrous rest of the year. In reaction Lièvremont has promised to take a more hands-on approach to all aspects of team life.
Captain Six Nations 2011: Consistently France's top tackler, Thierry Dusautoir is widely recognised as one of the world's top flankers. When aging second-row stalwart Lionel Nallet was forced to miss France's tour in New Zealand and Australia in 2009, Dusautoir took over as skipper with a view to leading Les Bleus to the 2011 World Cup. There have been questions in the press over his ability to motivate and communicate with his team-mates, but as far as the coaches are concerned he is the undisputed leader.
Player to watch Six Nations 2011: France have a wealth of talent in the back row, including Biarritz hardman Imanol Harinordoquy. Once referred to as "Harry-ordinary" by critics on the other side of the channel, the 30-year-old's game has developed to such an extent that he was nominated for the IRB's World Player of the Year Award in 2010. Apart from being a powerful ball carrier, his versatility makes him invaluable as he is able to play as both number eight and on the blindside flank while his height makes him a dangerous line-out option.
Fixtures Six Nations 2011:
Saturday 5 Feb: vs Scotland -- Stade de France
Sunday 13 Feb: vs Ireland -- Aviva Stadium
Saturday 26 Feb: vs England -- Twickenham
Saturday 12 Mar: vs Italy -- Stadio Flaminio
Saturday 19 Mar: vs Wales -- Stade de France
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