The Toulouse lock is on the verge of winning the Grand Slam in his first tournament as skipper following the retirement of Fabien Galthie after the World Cup.

And now, the 31-year-old insists maintaining a steady preparation after the win over Scotland on Sunday is essential for claiming the scalp of the world champions.

Pelous said: We will prepare for the game as we would any other.

The Grand Slam is at stake and that is all we want to concentrate on.

We were very good in defence against Scotland which meant they could not express themselves.

But any thoughts of revenge over the World Cup semi-final do not exist for us.

Meanwhile, French star Olivier Magne has offered Scotland some crumbs of comfort as Matt Williams team head towards the wooden spoon.

The Scots must avoid defeat in Dublin against an impressive Ireland team to evade a RBS 6 Nations whitewash.

But the 31-0 defeat by the French has left many Scotland supporters reeling and with a foreboding air of dread ahead of the game at Lansdowne Road.

However, Magne is adamant there should not be an air of doom and gloom around the Scottish squad.

He said: There is a bit of doubt in the Scotland team, which is perhaps why it is difficult for them to play quickly, but they are a team which is trying their best.

We have to concentrate on our own game, however, I believe there is enough there for Scotland to remain confident for the future.

They have to stay confident because there are many good players and they have a chance to win at Ireland next week.

Scotland have always had a good line-out, although maybe their scrum is not the best in the world.

But they have plenty of fast players who can play very well.

They have to be more confident because their start has been one of the worst in the Six Nations.

It is not very easy for them to play without a win.