Having finished fifth in last year’s tournament Brunel’s side kicked off the autumn with a less-than-encouraging win over Tonga but recovered to produce two impressive performances against New Zealand and Australia.

Brunel’s side trailed just 13-7 at half-time against the All Blacks before fading to lose 42-10 while against the Australians they narrowly failed to bag a draw in Florence – losing 22-19.

Key to the later two performances was a willingness to play some running rugby – a fresh approach Brunel wants to cultivate all the way until the 2015 World Cup.

Last year’s clash with France ended in a resounding defeat, 30-12 in Paris, however having narrowly beaten Les Bleus on home soil in the 2011 tournament Brunel is urging his side to believe.   

“We showed in the November Tests, especially against New Zealand and Australia, that we can step up and challenge the big teams in the game,” Brunel said.

“The key now is to produce that kind of performance over the 80 minutes, and on a regular basis.”