Preview: France v Scotland
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Scotland have not tasted success on French soil for 16 years but if they could handpick a coach from all of world rugby to mastermind a victory over their Gallic rivals then Vern Cotter would probably be the choice.
Eight years in charge of Top 14 powerhouses Clermont Auvergne gives Cotter an unrivalled reserve of inside knowledge on Les Bleus.
And while this might be Cotter's first Six Nations at the helm of Scotland, the Kiwi has already proven his credentials with an impressive year-end campaign in 2014.
Morale-boosting wins over Tonga and Argentina were supplemented by a narrow loss to world champions New Zealand meaning optimism surrounds the Scottish camp.
1999 feels a long time ago for Scottish fans to toast victory in Paris but with Cotter at the helm, flank Blair Cowan – who will also be making his Six Nations bow on Saturday – says he and his teammates are more than well prepared.
"He [Cotter] has spoken about the mentality we can expect and I think that gives us a bit of an edge," said the forward.
"He knows a lot of their players individually as well and that knowledge from him definitely gives us an advantage and it's how we use it that's going to be crucial."
Last year the Scots only won one game in Six Nations but this time around skipper Greig Laidlaw has already outlined his country's much loftier ambitions.
Vern Cotter has plumped for a Glasgow Warriors spine for his side in Paris, eight in all including speedsters like Stuart Hogg and Tommy Seymour out wide and grunt up front with Euan Murray and Jonny Gray.
"You know, deep down, our goal is to win every game we play, to win the Six Nations," added Cowan.
"There's no point in going out there in this competition if we didn't think it was possible.
"But, right now, where we're at, it's about one game at a time."
On the other side however there is the small matter of a France team that have beaten Scotland the last eight times that they have faced them.
They will be wearing a new-look red kit on Saturday and there will be a few new faces to recognise as well with Rory Kockott and Camille Lopez forming the 14th new halfback pairing of the Philippe Saint-Andre era.
But there is one familiar face returning for France, that of skipper Thierry Dusautoir who missed the whole of the 2014 Six Nations through injury.
And despite the weight of history in their favour, Dusautoir knows that Scotland under Cotter's clever guidance will take some stopping this year.
"The main difference with the Scottish team now is that Vern Cotter has brought them more confidence," he said.
"He did the same at Clermont six years ago, and I think Scotland have a fantastic squad and will show us they are able to play nice rugby.
"They played very well against New Zealand, and beat Argentina, but I think we had a good tour as well last autumn and we'll be ready to play them.
"The French like to play at home, but in terms of our improvement we have to think about ourselves.
"I don't really care about playing away or at home. I'm just focused on the next game against Scotland, and we'll take it game by game."
Players to watch:
For France: South Africans will be eager to see how Rory Kockott goes in his first start for his adopted nation along with fullback Scott Spedding. Mathieu Bastareaud is always a devastating force in the midfield while Teddy Thomas is a known try-scoring machine.
For Scotland: British and Irish Lion Stuart Hogg will be one to watch as he links up with speedsters Tommy Seymour and Tim Visser. The two Gray brothers form a formidable lock pairing for the Scots while Blair Cowan and Rob Harley are known to keep the opposition busy.Head to head: The French loose trio oozes class with captain Thierry Dusautoir, South African-born Bernard Le Roux and Damien Chouly, they will battle well against the Scottish loose forward trio of Blair Cowan, Johnnie Beattie and Rob Harley who are scrappers in the true sense of the word.
Recent results:
2014: France won 19-17 in Edinburgh
2013: France won 23-16, Paris
2012: France won 23-17, Edinburgh
2011: France won 34-21, Paris
2010: France won 18-9, Edinburgh
2009: France won 22-13, Paris
2008: France won 27-6, Edinburgh
2007: France won 46-19, Paris
2006: Scotland won 20-16, Edinburgh
2005: France won 16-9, Paris
Prediction: Scotland have talked themselves up to be an attacking force under Vern Cotter, and it is certainly believable after witnessing their successful November campaign. France however, as unpredictable as they may be, are still a class act and should be able to pip the Scots in a high scoring game by 7 points.
France: 15 Scott Spedding, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Mathieu Bastareaud, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Teddy Thomas, 10 Camille Lopez, 9 Rory Kockott, 8 Damien Chouly, 7 Bernard Le Roux, 6 Thierry Dusautoir (captain), 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Pascal Pape, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Guilhem Guirado, 1 Alexandre Menini.Replacements: 16 Benjamin Kayser, 17 Uini Atonio, 18 Eddy Ben Arous, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Loann Goujon, 21 Morgan Parra, 22 Remi Tales, 23 Remi Lamerat.
Scotland: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 Alex Dunbar, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Greig Laidlaw (captain), 8 Johnnie Beattie, 7 Blair Cowan, 6 Rob Harley, 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Richie Gray, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Alasdair Dickinson.Replacements: 16 Fraser Brown, 17 Gordon Reid, 18 Geoff Cross, 19 Jim Hamilton, 20 Alasdair Strokosch, 21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22 Peter Horne, 23 Dougie Fife.
Date: Saturday, February 7
Venue: Stade de France, Paris
Kick-off: 18.00 (17.00 GMT; 17.00 UK time)
Expected weather: Cold but dry, high of 6, 16 kph wind
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Glen Jackson (New Zealand), Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
TMO: George Ayoub (Australia)
@rbs_6_nations & @rugby365com
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