RBS Six Nations: France out to lift the roof against Wales at the Millennium Stadium

The roof will be closed in Cardiff tonight, but such is the expectancy and excitement surrounding the Wales v France clash it might prove impossible to keep a lid on both the game and the Millennium Stadium.

It's always risky to predict a classic encounter, with sport notoriously fickle in its treatment of certainties, but there is little doubt that the intensity of this match will rival anything seen in this season's RBS Six Nations.

France arrive buoyed by back-to-back wins over Scotland (9-18) and Ireland (33-10), and in search of another victory to maintain hopes of a first Grand Slam since 2004. They have been the form team of the tournament so far, and have an awesome pack ready to power its way to forward dominance whoever the opposition. Earlier this season they gave World Champions South Africa a lesson in true power play, and Wales will know they must front up in Cardiff to have any chance of victory.

Scotland 9 France 18 / France 33 Ireland 10

Injuries continue to disrupt France's plans - this week they lost Benjamin Fall, Vincent Clerc and Pascal Papé from their team - but Marc Lièvremont's side has talent (and talented players) to spare, as witnessed by their impressive demolition of Ireland - last year's Grand Slam heroes.

The half-back pairing of young guns Morgan Parra and Francois Trinh-Duc grows with each game, while the central combination of Yannick Jauzion and Mathieu Bastareaud blends the perfect mix of experience and youth. Out wide 'Les Bleus' will have Julien Malzieu and Alexis Palisson to give added pace, while rejuvenated Clément Poitrenaud is back to his counter-attacking best after a mixed year of poor form and injuries saw him temporarily usurped by club colleague Maxime Médard.

It all adds up to a side jam-packed with class and panache, with the only real question left as yet unanswered being whether France can overcome their traditional frailty of inconsistency. This is underlined by the fact that should they indeed triumph in Cardiff they will have achieved a notable (if surprising) 'first' under Lièvremont - namely, winning three games on the spin.

Part of that inconsistency has been promoted by Lièvremont himself as "The Tinkerman" opted for a seemingly never-ending rotation of players during his first 18 months in charge. That has changed of late, however, and the key phrase now is "continuation of selection" as France build towards their ultimate goal of the 2011 World Cup. They have also had one-to-one sessions with a sports psychologist this week to ensure there are no mental hurdles blocking their path.

Lièvremont, though, is under no illusions of the scale of the task facing his much-fancied team and has been singing the praises of Wales, and their impressive stadium, all week.

"Playing in such a hostile environment should galvanise the team," he stated. "It's under such pressure that great teams are born and prosper. The problems will come from a Wales team that is coming off the back of two under-par performances and who will want to raise their game," he added.

Indeed, Wales have not been at their best to date, but will have the confidence of their dramatic late win against Scotland (31-24) still fresh in their minds. French centre Jauzion is clearly aware of the threat the Welsh pose and admitted Gatland's side often appear "energised" when playing at home. "We know they can come back at any moment. And it is even harder when you play them and they are leading because they have the bit between their teeth," added the 31-year-old Stade Toulousain star.

"It's imperative that we don't allow them to rush at us, that we're vigilant in defence and hold the line, because the moment the Welsh see a chink in our armour they will take advantage," warned Jauzion.

Wales coach Gatland admitted to being impressed by France so far but also said he had seen enough to convince him they weren't unbeatable. "They key for us is starting well. France have got some big strong ball-carriers, and we have got to get in their faces and stop them.

"France like to have a bit of time on the ball, and they will take risks. They do make mistakes, and discipline is key for us," he said.

If 'Les Bleus' are to win in Cardiff then fly-half Trinh-Duc will most likely be pivotal to their performance. The Montpellier stand-off has started 10 of France's 11 games and is growing into a role that has proved a problem position since Frederic Michalak failed to fulfil the mantle set aside for him.

Trinh-Duc, who has Vietnamese ancestry, is something of a novelty in the modern international era in that kicking - out of hand and for goal - is not considered one of his strengths. "There are times when you go for territory," he said, "but my priority is to run the ball and make passes."

Trinh-Duc plays extremely flat, but is able to create time and space for his talented backs thanks to his soft hands and general rugby vision. It is a combination of skills that Lièvremont rightly admires, and with Bastareaud and Jauzion outside him it can cause havoc in the opponents' defence.

Talking of defence - tonight's game will see both sides employ the 'blitz' variety, which could lead to a congested midfield where space is at an absolute premium. That means Trinh-Duc's talents will be ever more important, while Bastareaud's potential to break the gain line could prove decisive.

The Welsh, meanwhile, will be looking to two players set to enter their country's record books with birthday boy Shane Williams and flanker Martyn Williams both eyeing notable landmarks against the French.

Winger Williams - who has been the subject of transfer speculation to Toulon all week - is hoping to celebrate his 33rd birthday by scoring his 50th try for Wales. If he did so he would also beat Gareth Edwards' national record of 18 tries in the Six Nations championship - although there were, of course, only five nations in Edwards' day.

"It would be a massive honour to beat that because Gareth Edwards is a true legend in Welsh and world rugby," said Williams. "To reach 50 tries would also be fantastic, but it's more important to try to get involved as much as possible and work hard. That's what gets you the tries," he added.

Martyn Williams, meanwhile, will equal Colin Charvis' 94-cap record for a Wales forward. "It's a great milestone for Martyn - I think it is a fantastic achievement for him," said Gatland. "His next milestone is trying to get to 100, which would be a brilliant achievement," he added.

Elsewhere, Wales have made four changes from the side which fought back so dramatically against Scotland. Richie Rees comes in at scrum-half (in place of Gareth Cooper), with British Lion Mike Phillips fit enough to sit on the bench, while Huw Bennett takes over from Gareth Williams at hooker. 

In the second row Deiniol Jones partners Bradley Davies in an Cardiff line-up, while Jonathan Thomas moves to flanker to replace Andy Powell - who was dropped following his now infamous golf buggy incident.

Wales starting XV: Lee Byrne (Ospreys); Leigh Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues), James Hook (Ospreys), Jamie Roberts (Cardiff Blues), Shane Williams (Ospreys); Stephen Jones (Scarlets), Richie Rees (Cardiff Blues); Paul James (Ospreys), Huw Bennett (Ospreys), Adam Jones (Ospreys), Bradley Davies (Cardiff Blues), Deiniol Jones (Cardiff Blues), Jonathan Thomas (Ospreys), Martyn Williams (Cardiff Blues), Ryan Jones (Capt, Ospreys)
Subs: Ken Owens (Scarlets), Rhys Gill (Saracens), Luke Charteris (Newport Gwent Dragons), Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues), Mike Phillips (Ospreys), Andrew Bishop (Ospreys), Tom Shanklin (Ospreys)

France starting XV: Clément Poitrenaud (Stade Toulousain), Julien Malzieu (Clermont Auvergne), Mathieu Bastareaud (Stade Francais), Yannick Jauzion (Stade Toulousain), Alexis Palisson (Brive), Francois Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), Morgan Parra (Clermont Auvergne), Imanol Harinordoquy (Biarritz), Julien Bonnaire (Clermont Auvergne), Thierry Dusautoir (Capt, Stade Toulousain), Julien Pierre (Clermont Auvergne), Lionel Nallet (Racing-Métro 92), Nicolas Mas (Perpignan), William Servat (Stade Toulousain), Thomas Domingo (Clermont Auvergne).
Subs: Dimitri Szarzewski (Stade Francais), Jean-Baptiste Poux (Stade Toulousain), Sébastien Chabal (Racing-Métro 92), Alexandre Lapandry (Clermont Auvergne), Frédéric Michalak (Stade Toulousain), David Marty (Perpignan), Marc Andreu (Castres).