Last week he was one of 33 players called up by Saint-André for France’s 2013 campaign which kicks off against Italy on February 3 and Clerc is desperate to head into the tournament in good form for club side Toulouse.

Clerc said: “I want to enjoy it, as with every call-up, but just because I’ve been called up that doesn’t mean I won’t have an off-day, an injury or there will be too much competition.

“That’s why I’m taking advantage of every opportunity. After that, my personal goal is to go to the 2015 World Cup in England, and to win it. Then I think it will be time to stop. Well, we’ll see in 2015.

“At Toulouse I think it’s our collective strength which plays a big role, we have a real squad, we’re not just teammates but friends as well. We’ve had a bit of a barren run since the Ospreys loss [in December] so we’ve been working just as hard and it’s working. We’ve had a few wins now and it’s good for the squad."