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France look set to experiment in Six Nations

France will have one eye on the World Cup when they start their Six Nations title defense next month, while Ireland are trying to play down their tag as favorites.

Bernard Laporte heads into his last year as French coach openly planning to experiment during the Six Nations to help his World Cup campaign.

He plans to use 40 players in the five games to determine the final 10 players of his World Cup squad.

"Yes, we won the trophy and we would like to defend our title, but in six months there's a World Cup in France and we know that a lot of players will want to keep their place on the team," Laporte said on Wednesday at the Six Nations season launch.

France kick off their title defense in Italy on Feb. 3. The winning team will be presented with the first ever Garibaldi Trophy, made to mark competition between the two countries.

England -- featuring a new coach and a new captain as they bid to recover from losing eight of its last nine matches -- host Scotland on the same day.

On Feb. 4, Wales host Ireland, ranked by British bookmakers William Hill as the 13-8 favorite to win their first title since 1985.

France are second favorites at 2-1, with England at 4-1, Wales at 9-2, Scotland at 25-1 and Italy at 150-1.

"The favorites tag is just that -- it's a tag. I don't think it necessarily affects the players," Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll said. "Hopefully we've learnt from our experiences a couple of years ago when we were similarly named as favorites and we didn't achieve what we set out to do."

Ireland finished below France last year -- but with the same number of points. They also finished as runner-ups in 2003 and 2004.

The last time England won the Six Nations was in 2003 -- when they went on to win the World Cup.

Since then, England have struggled in the Six Nations, winning seven of the 15 matches played and losing to every team except Italy at least once.

But Phil Vickery -- appointed captain by new coach Brian Ashton, who replaced Andy Robinson last month -- was optimistic about England's chances.

"Everyone is looking forward to seeing what we can offer," Vickery said. "There is probably a bit more pressure, but it is a good pressure."

For Wales and Scotland, the tournament is about developing more consistency. After winning the Grand Slam in 2005, injuries hampered Wales last season and coach Mike Ruddock left halfway through the tournament.

His replacement, Gethin Jenkins, is prepared to forgo experimentation to do well in the Six Nations.

"We want to win this tournament and if it does mean having consistent selection to actually do that, then I'm prepared to do that," Jenkins said.

Scotland beat England and France during the last Six Nations -- both at Murrayfield.

"The key is that we didn't really surprise ourselves," Scotland coach Frank Hadden said. "What we've got to do now is build on that."

That involves improving away form -- this season Scotland play in England and France.

"You have to focus on yourself," Scotland captain Chris Paterson said. "Sometimes playing at home is added pressure, it has added expectation; and as an away team, you can use that to your advantage."

Italy are aiming to win their first game since 2003.
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