Marc Lievremont is hoping for a consistent display by France © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: Marc Lievremont

Tournaments/Tours: Six Nations

Teams: France

France coach Marc Lievremont is hoping that his side can banish the demons of last year's capitulation to England at Twickenham by mounting a consistent charge for the Six Nations title.

Les Bleus meekly surrendered to Martin Johnson's men last season, losing 34-10, after derailing Wales' hopes of back-to-back Grand Slams a week earlier. They kick off this year's campaign against Scotland at Murrayfield on February 7, with another mixed bag in November behind them.

South Africa were comprehensively beaten in Toulouse before the All Blacks ran riot in Marseille, inflicting a heavy defeat after France had turned them over on home soil during the summer.

"England is always the match," Lievremont said. "And that is more so this season because of the huge slap in the face we got at Twickenham last year. Nothing worked for us that day - it was a disaster. Some losses you can make something out of but not that England one.

"The only positive to come out of that match was the spirit of the players afterwards to put things right."

Lievremont admitted that his side struggled for consistency, which he blamed in part on the scheduling of the ultra-competitive Top 14. A number of his squad will be in domestic action ahead of the tournament and all he can do is wait and see in terms of injuries.

"The summary of our season to date is that we win one and then we lose one - it never seems to be two or three in a row for us," he said. "But, then again, very few teams manage more than that. We need to focus on the continuity of the French team.

"It is a rarity for me to have nine days to prepare for the first match. When we played South Africa in the autumn, the players had played two club games in close proximity before that match. It is crazy in modern rugby to have such constraints and this explains our results a little bit."