The stakes before the Crunch at Twickenham, Saturday (5.45 p.m.) as part of the 4th day of the Six Nations Tournament, are multiple.
End 18 years of defeat for example for the Blues who have not won in the Temple since 2005.
To discover
Calendar and results 6 Nations
Ranking Tournament 6 of Nations
There is also an issue regarding the World Rugby ranking.
In case of defeat, the XV of France, currently 2nd nation in the world, would fall to 4th place, doubled by New Zealand and South Africa.
In the event of a draw or an exploit, Fabien Galthié's men would remain in second place behind Ireland.
They can even hope to pass in front of the XV of Clover to sit at the top of this classification.
For that, you need a victory for the Blues and... a defeat for the Irish on Sunday (4 p.m.) in Scotland.