Vincent Clerc has dismissed France's impressive record of nine wins in 10 matches against Saturday's Six Nations opponents Ireland, saying the visitors are a terrific side capable of beating them.
The 30-year-old wing, whose try against Italy last Saturday took him level on 32 tries with coach Philippe Saint-Andre and six shy of all-time national record holder Serge Blanco, added that the Irish had been unlucky to lose 23-21 to Wales last Sunday and would be more dangerous because of that.
"They have had a fair amount of success themselves and that gives them good reason to come here with genuine belief of winning," said Clerc, who will win his 60th cap on Saturday.
"They have been doing really well in the European Cup (three of the four Irish provinces reached April's quarter-finals) and are experiencing a good time at the moment.
"They played really well against the Welsh and they did not deserve to lose at the end. It is going to be a complicated tussle. They haven't beaten us for a while but I think they are really in form at the moment.
"The 'fighting spirit' is one of their qualities but they have lots of others qualities, notably the line-out and keeping the ball.
"We saw how they managed to put several successive phases of attack together last Sunday and really rattle the Welsh, which resulted in them winning penalties and scoring tries," added the Toulouse star, who made his international debut in 2002.
Clerc, who was the villain in Irish eyes five years ago when his last-minute try robbed them of victory in Dublin, admitted the referee on Saturday, Englishman Dave Pearson, would have to keep a keen eye on the visitors.
"They are very difficult to play against," said Clerc, who was outstanding in France's rollercoaster run to last year's World Cup final.
"It will be the referee's duty to do his job.
"The Irish have a habit of slowing a lot of the balls from being released from the ruck, often on the borderline of it being an infringement because in doing that it is difficult for the opponent to put together a fluent run of play and it allows the Irish to get back to defend.
"It is imperative that we are effective in getting the ball freed and also in the rucks. If the Irish cross the line, it will be for the referee to punish them."
Clerc, whose girlfriend -- the daughter of Toulouse's legendary coach Guy Noves -- gave birth to a baby girl on January 2, said that he was not looking to the match as a means of edging nearer to Blanco's record.
"It's just anecdotal, that," said the habitually humble Clerc. "It is not one of my objectives this weekend.
"If it happens, all the better, it will be one more souvenir, but I am not going onto the pitch with the objective of scoring a try in order to close in on a record. It would be a bad way of approaching a game.
"I have not set myself this personal target. But the very fact that my name is associated with guys like Philippe Saint-Andre and Serge Blanco... Well, it's a privilege to be among people of that level."
Clerc, who has garnered three European Cup trophies and two French league titles with Toulouse since he joined them from Grenoble in 2002, said that the publishing of former coach Marc Lievremont's book on Thursday could be problematic for some people in the squad.
"I am not convinced that it will be a positive thing for us or for other players," said Clerc, who, unlike several of his team-mates, has refrained from criticising Lievremont's stewardship during the World Cup.
"We are embarking on a new era. I am not particularly keen to mix eras and events that unfolded in previous ones."