Les Bleus blew hot and cold in the 18-9 defeat of Scotland and have recalled wing duo Vincent Clerc and Alexis Palisson to replace Benjamin Fall and Aurelien Rougerie who both picked up knocks in the win.

And Kidney revealed he is not sending his team in with any hard and fast gameplan in a bid to combat France’s stereotypical unpredictability.

He said: “We have a broad plan but the boys will also have to think on their feet. You can try and second guess France but that's dangerous.

"France's set-piece is strong, so is their continuity and off-load game. They bring the unexpected.

"That gets them playing free-flowing rugby and, when they play like that, they'll make hay against anybody.

"They played like that against New Zealand last summer and South Africa in the autumn and came out on top both times.”

Kidney will hope that his side can continue their rock solid recent form which has seen them go unbeaten since 2009 despite a turgid opening-day defeat of Italy.

And the former Munster coach is adamant every department of his team will have to be on top of their game in Paris.

He said: "We'll try and match their forwards and take a look at what their backs present in defence.

"We'll just have to attack what we see in front of us. That's the way Irish teams need to play.

"We need to be smart – if we play the same way every time, teams will cut us down.

"We have a style that we play but it allows players to exploit gaps.

"You can't defend the whole pitch so we'll have to pick out where France are vulnerable."