Robinson's men head to Paris and the Stade de France, a ground where they haven't won since five Jonny Wilkinson penalties underpinned a 15-9 verdict six years ago.

A third successive Six Nations away defeat against France would effectively end England's bid for silverware, consigning a third successive campaign to the category marked ''under-achievement.''

France are also chasing the title, and if they reproduce the first-half performance that left Ireland chasing shadows a month ago, then England could be in for a seriously testing afternoon.

''We've got to be in their faces to stop them playing,'' said Robinson, who has recalled scrum-half Matt Dawson and prop Matt Stevens to his starting XV.

''If you drop off your concentration for any moment, then France can carve you apart.

''Tactically, we've got to be more astute, and we have got to squeeze the life out of the French, stop the band playing and then hear the crowd whistling, getting on their backs.''

Robinson's assessment is spot-on, but stopping the French from cutting loose represents a formidable challenge.

France coach Bernard Laporte confirmed Dimitri Yachvili's recent match-winning performances against England were the reasons behind the scrum-half's inclusion in his side.

Yachvili, who replaces Jean-Baptiste Elissalde in the starting line-up for the Stade de France clash, has been the scourge of the English in the past two tournaments.

The Biarritz star kicked 19 points against Les Bleus' cross-channel rivals in the final game of the 2004 competition to help secure the Grand Slam, while he spearheaded a second-half assault at Twickenham last year, booting all his team's points in an extraordinary 18-17 win.

Laporte will be hoping the dependable Yachvili completes a hat-trick of stellar displays in Paris this weekend.

''This is not a punishment for Jean-Baptiste,'' said Laporte.

''But Dimitri is fresher physically and he has always been good against the English.''

Yachvili is one of two changes Laporte has made to his starting XV, with prop Sylvain Marconnet coming into the front row in place of Olivier Milloud, who drops to the substitutes' bench alongside Elissalde.

Centre Florian Fritz is fit to start the game after recovering from a knee injury.