Twickenham 'shame' is still giving Cedric nightmares

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The French are struggling to get over their 34-10 defeat at Twickenham, which has cost them the chance to play for the title.

"It is the worst match of my career," the Heymans.

"Definitely on an individual level. The most difficult thing is this feeling of powerlessness, of shame. It was unbelievable.

"I have experienced bitter defeats, like against South Africa but, in terms of a nightmare, last Sunday at Twickenham was definitely the worst.

"We realise we have been ridiculed and we know what we didn't do at Twickenham."

If France do end up winning against Italy tomorrow to finish the tournament on a high, Heymans accepts his team will again be labelled one that only turns up when their backs are against the wall. "For the moment, that is the case," said the 30-year-old. "We must accept being spoken of as such. We now know that, when we don't put all the ingredients together, we are ridiculed."

After the real scare the Italians gave Wales last week, a France victory tomorrow is by no means a certainty and Italy scrum-half Paul Griffen has stressed the need for his team to show continuity.

"We want to continue the good form that we displayed against Wales when we take on France," said Griffen. "We want to prove to all of our fans, and ourselves, that we are capable of playing well in two consecutive games."