Twice finalists, France have the benefit this time around of home advantage. The importance of playing at home to the French should not be underestimated. Aside from losses to New Zealand, the French have virtually been impregnable in front of their own fans in the last couple of years but must still overcome Ireland and Argentina so they can avoid the All Blacks in the quarter-finals.

While New Zealand are, on their day, streets ahead of any of their rivals, France sit alongside South Africa, Australia and perhaps Ireland as a team that have the potential to upset the odds. Often, you just do not know which France is going to turn up. Will it be the one that produced arguably the greatest performance in the history of the game in beating New Zealand at Twickenham in the 1999 World Cup semi-final? Or will it be the France that choked so badly against England in the World Cup semi-final in 2003. Much will depend on how they cope in the opener against Argentina in Saint-Denis. An early win will set the tone for the group with a two week gap before the other big one against Ireland. Defeat, however, and that notoriously fickle support will become vocal. And not in a good way.

• Yannick Jauzion
  The Tarn-born 29-year-old has been a regular fixture in most people’s World XV for the past three or four years now, and it easy to see why. Possessing the most dextrous hands in the game, his superb ability to offload in the tackle sets him apart from most other international midfielders. Standing at 6ft 4in, he is a powerhouse in defence and attack and also has speed and flair to boot. Put simply, he has everything in his locker and has been a regular midfield general for Les Bleus over the last five years.
• Raphael Ibanez
  Ibanez is set to captain the team, ahead of Fabein Pelous, and it is a role he knows all too well after he captained France in the 1999 World Cup. The Wasps hooker added another Heineken Cup to his glittering ‘palmares’ this year, and has matured into a leader by example. Now 34, Ibanez is expected to be rested for the easier games of the group stages, but while he may be in the twilight of an illustrious career he continues to produce the goods and will be in the front line against Ireland and Argentina.
• Sebastien Chabal
  ‘The Caveman’ is one of the most familiar sights in rugby. He is not always a guaranteed starter but when he does play, he’s usually explosive. The 29-year-old, who sports a bushy beard, long hair and a huge Nordic tattoo on his thigh plays his club rugby with Sale, where he is a cult hero and known to the fans as ‘Sea Bass’. He rarely comes off second best in a one-on-one confrontation, as All Blacks lock Ali Williams recently discovered when an attempted tackle resulted in a broken jaw for the Kiwi and a two month lay-off. A tournament on home soil is finally a chance for Chabal to silence some critics who claim his performances are too hit and miss.

• Forwards
  Pieter de Villiers, Nicolas Mas, Olivier Milloud, Jean-Baptiste Poux, Raphael Ibanez, Sebastien Bruno, Dimitri Szarzewski, Sebastien Chabal, Fabien Pelous, Jerome Thion, Lionel Nallet, Serge Betsen, Julien Bonnaire, Imanol Harinordoquy, Thierry Dusautoir, Yannick Nyanga, Remy Martin.
• Backs
  Pierre Mignoni, Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, Frederic Michalak, David Skrela, Lionel Beauxis, Yannick Jauzion, Damien Traille, David Marty, Christophe Dominici, Cedric Heymans, Vincent Clerc, Aurelien Rougerie, Clement Poitrenaud.