New captain Fabien Pelous says France cannot be considered Six Nations championship favourites despite being the only European team to challenge the powerful southern hemisphere sides at the 1999 World Cup.

The French were the only northern hemisphere team to reach the last four, beating pre-tournament favourites New Zealand with some superb, attacking rugby at Twickenham.

But asked if the French were favourites for the 2000 championship which includes Italy for the first time, the number eight said: "No, I don't think so because the last clashes we had with the northern hemisphere nations did not go so well for us.

"We are no more favourites than the others...It is very open this year because there are a lot of teams who have changed coach or players after the World Cup and are trying new players for the future."

France struggled in the Five Nations last year but lifted their game brilliantly in the later stages of the World Cup and made Australia work for their victory in the final. By contrast England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland were all disappointing.

"Having battled and won against one of the best international teams, the All Blacks, in reaching the final of the World Cup, we have gained a great deal of confidence and optimism," Pelous said.

Captains and leading players from the Six Nations gathered to promote next month's start of the championship in the unusual setting of the Victoria and Albert Museum in central London on Thursday.

Six key players from each of the six countries talked about the 2000 event in an ornate public dining room built in 1868.

In the new professional era this was an occasion of nibbles and niceties and little controversy.

But in nine days the players will be ready to make some serious points about the standard of northern hemisphere rugby after the World Cup.

England, who open their campaign at home against Ireland on February 5, go into the championship after a intense period of domestic rugby which has tested the fitness of the players. Some believe they have been forced to play too much rugby.

Asked if it had taken a long time to recover from their defeat by South Africa in the World Cup quarter-finals, England scrumhalf Matt Dawson said: "It took me three weeks to get over it. I came back from holiday and thought there was no point in sitting down and fretting that we had done poorly.

"You have to go forward and do well in the Six Nations."

Italian captain Alessandro Troncon, whose team were a major flop in the World Cup ahead of their debut in the top tournament of European rugby, said: "This is a good occasion to show to ourselves that we can do better than the World Cup."

The Italians play hosts to Scotland on February 5, the same day that the French travel to Cardiff to take on Wales in the Millennium Stadium, the scene of their World Cup final defeat.

The Welsh have been forced to play Five Nations games in the past two seasons in London while the Cardiff stadium was being built. They are clearly delighted to return there.

"Being back in Cardiff is something else. It is a boost for us," lock Chris Wyatt said.

There has been speculation in recent months that the championship, which runs from February to April, could be moved to another part of the season.

But Six Nations chief Allan Hosie said there was no chance of the dates being changed until after the 2002 championship at the earliest because of contractual reasons.

"There is no question of changing at the moment. Certainly not until after 2002, if even then," he said.