A certain je ne sais quoi for France in Six Nations opening

France coach Jacques Brunel laid out his vision of the future yesterday in handing a test debut to a teenage fly-half and including just one player over the age of 30.

Brunel took over from Guy Novès in December and he admits his team go into the NatWest 6 Nations clash as underdogs, but he has not been afraid to make bold decisions, with his selection counting an average age of just 26.

Much of the talk in the build-up to the championship has centred around 19-year-old fly-half Matthieu Jalibert and the Bordeaux youngster, who will get his first cap at the Stade de France after being named in the starting line-up.