France favourites as others await slip-up

France will seek to build on their World Cup final showing and display more consistency in their bid to win this season’s Six Nations, a tournament which promises to be one of the tightest in many a year.

The northern hemisphere’s showpiece national competition has often seen the French stutter, no less so than last year when they lost a shocker of a game to Italy, nine-time wooden spoonists since the inception of the six-nation tournament in 2000.

“The biggest challenge – and we spoke with the players about this – is to try to be very consistent,” warned Philippe Saint Andre, who took over as coach from Marc Lievremont after the World Cup, where France lost 8-7 to hosts New Zealand in the final.

Consistency aside, France are the bookies’ favourite to win the Six Nations, as Wales, who provided some sparkling rugby at the World Cup but crashed out in the semi-final to the French, suffer a raft of injuries to key players.

Fly-half Rhys Priestland and dynamic prop Gethin Jenkins are both out with knee injuries while centre Jamie Roberts (knee) and flanker Dan Lydiate (ankle) are also doubtful for a team already missing their two first-choice locks.

“Maybe it was a missed opportunity,” Wales captain Sam Warburton said of the 9-8 last-four loss to the French. “It was a great chance to get to the final, missing out by one point.

“But the beauty of what we did out there is that we played each game as another rugby game, without fear and we didn’t go into our shells.

“That will be the message this time around. Don’t think about it too much – at the end of the day it’s just another game of rugby.”

Turning to the European Cup, this season has proved to be a boon for the Irish provinces, with defending champions Leinster, Munster and Ulster all qualifying for the quarter-finals of the highly competitive tournament in which games often reach Test-like standards.

English clubs, however, have faltered in Europe with only Saracens going through.

England suffered a torrid return from New Zealand where it made more headlines for off-field antics than its drab on-field performances.

New interim coach Stuart Lancaster stressed his team’s Six Nations campaign was but the first step on a long journey of redemption that leads all the way to the 2015 World Cup.

“Fundamentally I want to develop a team that has some longevity to it – that can compete in the Six Nations, can go to South Africa this summer, the autumn internationals and beyond,” he said.