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Fabien Galthie says France are in the “dream scenario” as they stand on the brink of a Grand Slam but knows the Six Nations leaders face a massive test against England.
Anthony Jelonch scored the only try of an almighty battle with Wales at the Principality Stadium, where Les Bleus won 13-9 on Friday to maintain their 100 per cent record.
France defended magnificently to keep the holders at bay in Cardiff and have a first title since 2010 in their sights.
England will arrive at Stade de France determined to spoil the party and can also be crowned champions with a win in the French capital if they beat Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday.
France head coach Galthie sees his side as a work in progress and is prepared for a tense evening in Paris.
“The dream scenario is to win the games, Four wins after four rounds, that was our ambition. We have learned from the past, this is still a team in progress,” said Galthie.
“We have managed to balance things in this competition in terms of our efforts. Four wins, that is what you dream of. Now we will turn our attention to the final match against England.
“It’s England, the finalists from the last World Cup, a huge rugby nation. We can’t make a mistake about our opponent.
“We have to start the preparation in a pleasant way, while enjoying this [win over Wales] and this weekend. We will flip on Monday and prepare with our method and our conviction. There will be a match to play, as always.”
It was not pretty as France dug in to defeat Wales and Galthie was delighted with the way they went about their business.
He added: “The key is to win, differently, agreed, but it’s good to win. The winning streak is the hardest thing to do, especially here against a very good tactical side.
“We had a week with the players suffering from the flu and we were hit by Covid. Despite a number of players missing time, the team came and got the win and that is important.
“We won five turnovers at the breakdown, while being disciplined and conceding just eight penalties. The know-how of our defensive line, with big tackles, good entries into the rucks and playing the ball, that’s a box that is ticked by the players collectively and individually.”
