France coach Marc Lievremont is hoping not only to deliver his country's first Six Nations Grand Slam since 2004 on Saturday but by beating England also to finally lay to rest memories of their 34-10 thrashing by their old foes last year.
The 39-year-old former international backrow forward - who won the then Five Nations Grand Slam as a player in 1998 - said that the psychological scars from that defeat still lay deep within him and the team.
"That marked us hugely," said Lievremont, who was born in Senegal where his French Army officer father was based.
"The 50 points we scored against Italy (a 50-8 victory the following week) was not a sufficiently potent cure. The wound has stayed open for a long time now.
"It required the victory over the All Blacks in Dunedin (26-22) three months later for the scar to begin to heal.
"This defeat remains relatively incomprehensible because for two years, there was rarely such a supine display by the French team, with such a catastrophic outcome. Yes indeed that is a bad memory."
Lievremont, a member of the France team that stunned favourites All Blacks in the 1999 World Cup semi-final but then tamely lost to Australia in the final, said that playing England at any time was a special occasion given their historic rivalry both on and off the pitch.
"England is not a team like any other and a France v England match is not like the others," said Lievremont, who was the surprising choice to replace Bernard Laporte after the 2007 World Cup beating the favourites Fabien Galthie and Philippe Saint-Andre.
"There are so many motivating factors for this match: the Grand Slam, it is France v England, an English side that treated us badly last year (the 34-10 defeat) and that is certainly my biggest disappointment in the two years I have been coach of the team.
"They also beat us two years ago at the Stade de France (24-13) whyich was our first defeat as a unit together (the French had beaten Scotland 17-6 and Ireland 26-21); they also had beaten us in the 2007 World Cup semi-final (just as they did in 2003 in Australia) on our home soil and also in the 2007 Six Nations.
"That is four successive defeats in competitive matches."
Lievremont said that amazingly he had only played the English once in his 25 test career.
"I only played them once and that is a really good memory for me," said Lievremont, who played in the national side alongside brother Thomas on 10 occasions.
"It was in 1998, the opening match of the Five Nations following a traumatic final defeat in the autumn of 1997 at the Parc des Princes by South Africa and it was our first ever outing at the Stade de France.
"The English came into the match very sure of themselves, one could say arrogant.
"It turned into being the first match on the way to a Grand Slam.
"The context of this match is not the same. It is the French side that is confident and the English team that has its doubts.
"But we will assess this England team on its potential, and that it will be solid in every department.
"They have very powerful and aggressive players. Both the players and the coaching staff are nursing injured pride. I can just imagine the talk that Martin Johnson (the England manager and 2003 World Cup winning skipper) will give to his players."
Lievremont, whose previous coaching experience includes the French Under-21 side and then Dax who he guided back to the Top 14, said that landing the Grand Slam would leave him with a big smile on his face.
"I only played in one Five Nations tournament and I had the luck to win the Grand Slam.
"I maybe appreciated it less than others who had never won one over several years up till then.
"It will not be a different feeling because of that, there will be something else.
"For me, it will be the first time that I finish a competition with a smile on my face, without brooding about things behind it.
"It will validate the work we have put in, the confidence and the performances of the players."
Buy
the new all conquering Springboks fans jersey.
