There was little to choose between England and France when it came to pre-tournament favourites but while Brown and co have swept aside Scotland and downed Ireland in Dublin, les Bleus sit bottom of the pile.

An away defeat to Italy was followed by a home loss to Wales, which was greeted by jeers in the Stade de France, and head coach Philippe Saint-Andre has made five changes to his squad as a result.

England meanwhile, remain on course for a first Grand Slam since 2003 but Brown believes that French history shows that their unpredictability can be a dangerous weapon.

“France haven't had the best of starts, but they're a brilliant team who on their day can beat anyone in the world,” said Brown.

“Look at how many times they've beaten New Zealand when everyone's written them off, so they'll be a tough, tough test.

“They have brilliant players throughout their squad and will be a wounded animal, which makes them very dangerous. But the boys are looking forward to it and hopefully we can do a job. It will be a massive test.”

Brown was also full of praise for Harlequins teammate and England captain Chris Robshaw, following his man-of-the-match performance in Dublin.

"When we were in the academy we were asked who would we pick as a future captain and we all chose Chris. Now he's England captain.

“He leads by example and works so hard on and off the field. He's a great character and always has a smile on his face.”