Victory over Wales - who claimed the clean sweep in 2005 and 2008 - will leave only Italy and Martin Johnson's labouring England standing between Les Bleus and their first slam since 2004.

Lievremont's men overcame their greatest challenge two weeks ago when they ran in three tries against defending champions Ireland to triumph 33-10 in Paris.

Wales bounced back from a 30-17 defeat to England at Twickenham by coming from behind to stun Scotland 31-24 thanks to Shane Williams' last-gasp try.

The Welsh have come out on top just once in the past four clashes between the two sides in the RBS 6 Nations, with the 2008 win their only home win over the French since the tournament's inception.

But Lievremont, who was heavily criticised for shuffling his pack during the autumn, admits no quarter will be asked or given in front of a packed house in Cardiff.

"We expect a very tough game in the hell of the Millennium, with this enclosed stadium and 80 000 Welshmen," said Lievremont.

"We have learned to stay cautious, because of the French team's recent history, this inability to win three matches in a row.
"We are far from the level Ireland reached with 12 matches unbeaten.

"The Ireland result was a great one because we felt that they had such a strong team, that they could come and win in Paris.

"There was a big upsurge in quality after the Scotland match.

"Before we can talk about Grand Slams we have this match in Cardiff, which is just as perilous.

"If there's one thing the French must do, it's to keep performing over the long term."

France were forced into two late changes after winger Benjamin Fall - a replacement for the absent Vincent Clerc - and lock Pascal Pape were ruled out with ankle injuries.

Julien Malzieu and Julien Pierre will step into the breach, with iconic forward Sebastien Chabal moving on to the bench.

As well as replacing Clerc with Fall earlier in the week, Lievremont also brought in Julien Bonnaire to replace flanker Fulgence Ouedraogo and prop Marc Andreu to take Sylvain Marconnet's spot.

Wales boss Warren Gatland has named Lions scrum-half Mike Phillips among the replacements after he made his comeback from a four-month lay-off with a 40-minute stint for the Ospreys on Sunday.

Cardiff Blues' No.9 Richie Rees takes over in the starting XV from Gareth Cooper following his Blues' team-mate's disappointing performances against England and Scotland.

Lock Deniol Jones bolsters the Cardiff contingent after his surprise call-up, while Bradley Davies also starts alongside him.

But it is the return of 27-year-old Phillips that has given Gatland greatest cause for optimism.

"Richie has played himself into the starting line-up and deserves his chance, but once we had decided on his selection we couldn't ignore the opportunity to bring Mike Phillips back into the fold," said Gatland.

"It was great to see Mike get a full half for the Ospreys at the weekend and he is someone who can give us a different option from the bench.

"He is a world class player and he has been champing at the bit to get back to international rugby.

"He may not be 100 per cent match fit but he still has probably the best pass in Northern Hemisphere rugby and is a big physical presence so we know he won't let us down."