Fri 03 Mar 2007Ibanez wary of the threat England pose at homeSix Nations/England v France:When Raphael Ibanez
was made captain of France in mid-November, after Les Bleus'
40-point defeat by New Zealand in Lyon, the coach Bernard Laporte
had no hesitation in describing the role as "a poisoned chalice".
They were in total disarray and a second outing against the All
Blacks was only a few days away.Few would have dared predict it back then, but four months on,
the venom-filled vessel has a good chance of turning into
silverware. The Six Nations Championship trophy is beckoning France
for the second year running, and victory against England on Sunday
will put them on course for the Grand Slam.