Less than 18 months before the prestigious competition kicks off in France, the French unions, as well as some club coaches and players, are once again debating how to improve Les Bleus chances of lifting the much-coveted trophy.

Yachvili, who played 41 games during the 2004-05 season, is in favour of a change in the system.

Reducing the number of matches played per year down to 32 or 35 is a good thing obviously, Yachvili, a member of France's title-winning squad in this year's RBS 6 Nations Championship, told LEquipe.

''We will not be able to become world champions after playing 41 matches during the 2006-2007 season.

French players can expect to play an average of 30 games a season, as opposed to their counterparts in New Zealand and Australia, who face an average of 20 and 23 games respectively.

With a possible 28 league games in the season, plus up to nine European Cup games as well as international commitments, players in the top division in France (Top 14) face some of the toughest demands of rugby players anywhere on the planet.

Everyone agrees it is necessary to take measures to limit the number of matches played by the internationals, said Serge Simon, the players' union boss.

An agreement has to be found and we should use the 2006-07 season as a test campaign to implement a new system.

Biarritz coach Patrice Lagisquet is not against the idea of restricting the amount of club games internationals play.

It would be like having a menu with players we choose according to the matches and the schedule, Lagisquet said.

We are capable of doing that because weve already applied that system during the 2006 RBS 6 Nations.

I don't mind limiting the matches at all. However, I would be annoyed if an appearance of only 10 or 15 minutes at the end of the match was considered a full game.

The main problem is the accumulation of matches. We must make sure the players get some rest in between.