As the rain lashed down this week in Clairfontaine, France's headquarters to the south-west of Paris, Bernard Laporte wore a worried frown. Coach of France for the last 14 months, Laporte may have done his homework on Scotland, tomorrow's opponents at Stade de France, but any repeat of the weather that did for England at Murrayfield last April in Paris this weekend and France's grand slam hopes may also go down the plug-hole.
This is a game France should win but Laporte knows it will be no Sunday afternoon promenade. France may have a bench that includes Christian Califano, Abdelatif Benazzi and Christophe Dominici - all recent candidates for a world XV - but the recent foul weather and France's even fouler record since they moved house three years ago across Paris to the Stade, means they will cast a wary eye over Ian McGeechan's unpredictable Scottish visitors.
The mood in Laporte's camp has changed since their 42-33 defeat of the All Blacks in Marseille last November. Thirteen players from that side line up tomorrow with Raphael Ibanez returning for the injured hooker Fabrice Landreau and Xavier Garbajosa at full back for JeanLuc Sadourny.
Laporte has picked five of the pack who have powered Stade Francais into the Heineken Cup semi-finals. Man for man they look superior in most departments to the Scots, whose own autumn form was patchy. Scotland defeated the US and Samoa decisively enough but when matched against Australia, the world champions won 30-9 without finding top gear.
Scotland can hardly afford to lose forwards and the sight of the front-row men George Graham and Steve Brotherstone hobbling out of the picture this week will not improve their chances of repeating that scintillating win at the Stade two years ago.
But there is hope in John Leslie coming back to the midfield alongside the France-based outhalf Gregor Townsend. Their partnership was instrumental in Scotland's 36-22 win here two years ago.
The return of Andy Nicol at scrumhalf and Martin Leslie to the back row are also bonuses for McGeechan but France look 12 or 15 points better than Scotland, if only because Christophe Lamaison is such a dead-eyed kicker.
