France won the Six Nations last year, with their sole defeat against England at Allianz Stadium.

Captain Antoine Dupont ruptured cruciate ligaments in his knee in round four against Ireland but Fabien Galthie’s side got over the line without their talisman.

The scrum-half is back and will want to remind the rugby world of what he can do on the biggest stage, but they are without prop Uini Atonio, who was forced to retire with a heart problem.

“I tried to get a good part of the injury off and spend it with my family and friends, so I can do other things and come back with more mental freshness,” Dupont told BBC Radio 5 Live.

Galthie showed that no player is safe in his squad by leaving out France’s all-time top try-scorer Damian Penaud, number eight Gregory Alldritt and veteran centre Gael Fickou.

Will that bold call pay off? The fixtures could aid their chances, with games against Ireland and England at home meaning Les Bleus have a strong chance of retaining their title.

“France have threats all over the park. How they differ from any other team in the Six Nations would be the fact that if they lose five of their top players, it doesn’t matter,” La Rochelle head coach Ronan O’Gara told BBC Sport.

“France have a mentality of there is very little between certain players in certain positions – with the exception being Dupont.”