And with the likes of Julien Bonnaire, Imanol Harinordoquy and IRB World Player of the Year Thierry Dusautoir for competition in the back row, it’s a sign of his impressive form for Toulouse this year that Picamoles again makes the starting XV.

He said: “Before I probably thought too much about things, but now I’ve moved on and it’s going better.

“I feel good physically and mentally, I feel more liberated on the pitch. The staff and the players believe me which gives me more freedom to express myself on the pitch.”

While Scotland have recorded just one win over Les Bleus in the history of the RBS 6 Nations, Picamoles echoed the thoughts of his teammates expecting a tough battle against Andy Robinson’s side.

He said: “The Scots hold on to the ball for several minutes at a time, and are very strong at clearing out and if we don’t challenge for the ball we will be under pressure very quickly. It will be tough, especially at Murrayfield which will be full to bursting point. They will be desperate for that first win.

“Organisation will be important but you don’t win your individual battles if you don’t show a lot of aggression and willingness, after four minutes without the ball it’s not the organisation that goes missing but the lucidity.

“We need to avoid that to be able to play our own game.”