Marc Lievremont will like us even less if we make France crack

Martin Johnson, the team manager, won't allow any talk of Grand Slams to come into the equation because even if we can take care of the French at Twickenham, we still have the visit of Scotland - who love to ruin any English party - and Ireland in Dublin.

Marc Lievremont, the French coach, is right to say there isn't any love lost between France and England. Their veteran forward Imanol Harinordoquy was a player who used to make a few comments in the build-up to our clashes at the start of his career and we took great delight in ramming them down his throat.

You would remind him about what he had said at every opportunity, after every score, and you could see that he couldn't wait to get off the pitch.

If you let the French grab an early score then they will hurt you. Is their temperament better than when I used to play against them? Yes, but you still get the impression there is a fragile shell and if things don't go their way they could crack and revert to type, with the game becoming secondary and personal scores being settled.

Bernard Laporte, their former coach, started to change the team's mentality by asking them to play with natural flair allied to the discipline of the Anglo-Saxons, but you do see lapses, which we witnessed against Ireland.

We used to search for weaknesses in certain individuals and really put the pressure on them. Players like Serge Blanco, the captain and talisman, would get an early high ball so that we could try and get into him and start to make the whole French team feel that pressure.

We would also pressurise their half-backs because our back row was world class. We still have the personnel to do that and have experienced guys like Lewis Moody fit and back in the team. Tom Wood and James Haskell have done well on the flank so far, however, Lewis does have so much experience.

In 2003 we were favourites going into that year's Six Nations and Rugby World Cup and went on to win both. You have to live with that billing as favourites but although this team are confident, they are not arrogant.

France believe that if you score three tries they will score four but I don't think they have been really tested. Scotland gifted them three tries but England will not give them that luxury.

The visitors have a good scrum and look to put real pressure on at the set-piece, however, we have the makings of a very impressive front row in Dylan Hartley, Andrew Sheridan and Dan Cole.

However, it's not a case of stopping them in one area, you have to keep the heat on all over the pitch.

I believe this French side will, under that kind of intense pressure, lose their cool and I can see this being a high-scoring match and a 28-22 win for England.

Jason Leonard and the Evening Standard are supporting RBS RugbyForce, the community rugby programme that is improving club facilities across the nation. To find out more or register your rugby club for the RBS RugbyForce Weekend on June 11 & 12, visit www.rbs.co.uk/rugbyforce