France have a Grand Slam look about them

The 2025 Six Nations will tell us whether France are fully over their disappointing quarter-final exit in the 2023 World Cup, but the way they outclassed Wales in Paris on Friday night is a strong indication they are moving in the right direction.

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The seven tries to nil that they put past the Welsh makes them favourites to beat England at Twickenham again on Saturday, but they are a harder side to predict than most, mainly because traditionally emotion has played a big part in the way they perform.

However, maybe the default position of my generation of English players thinking that the French can be emotionally fragile is a bit dated. Somehow, I can't imagine Antoine Dupont and his seven Toulouse team-mates in the starting line-up against Wales being too emotional, because they are consistently high level performers - and the same is true of the Bordeaux and La Rochelle contingents.

While 30 years ago I'd describe the French as happy-go-lucky, when you have an inspirational captain like Dupont, who creates three or four big game-breaking moments in every match he plays, everything points to them being very professional - as well as used to winning.

The World Cup quarter-final loss to eventual champions South Africa was knife-edge, with a single point separating the two teams. Since then, Dupont has put it behind him by playing a big part in France winning gold in the Olympic Sevens, and the team has also had to move on, some of it due to injuries, with the line-up against Wales a mix of old hands and newcomers.