Friday 26 February 2016 10:35, UK
Robin McBryde says Wales have to ignore their previous record against France ahead of Friday's pivotal Six Nations showdown.
Wales go into the Principality Stadium date on the back of four successive wins over the French and they have conceded only one try in the past five meetings between the sides.
But Warren Gatland's assistant coach McBryde feels it would be foolish to think Wales only have to turn up to win, a result that would see them leapfrog England and top the table, albeit possibly for less than 24 hours when Eddie Jones' side host Ireland at Twickenham.
While McBryde concedes Wales deserve their position as strong favourites, he has seen enough in France's performances in narrow wins over Italy and Ireland that they have to be taken seriously.
"You can never take a French team too lightly, especially with an experienced coach like Guy Noves in charge and the success he has had with Toulouse over the years, especially in the European Cup," McBryde said.
"If you create an identity in your team and everybody buys into that team, and then you match that ambition with the way you train and play, you are going to be a handful for any team.
"They are two (wins) out of two, so we can't take this challenge too lightly. The records of the past should stay in the past tomorrow night. We are going to have to step up in our defence and attack.
"If we have got any ambition to get anything out of this championship, we have got to win on Friday night."
France could easily have arrived in Cardiff on the back of two defeats - their victories have come by a combined three points - but McBryde feels winning both games shows off battling qualities some French sides have been accused of lacking.
"It (French flair) is part of the French identity with rugby, along with their tighter game," he added.
"They have got a strong scrum, and you can hear the crowd getting behind their pack when the scrum is being as competitive as it can be, or they see a rolling maul gathering a head of steam.
"And it's getting the balance of that style of play with the swinging of the hips and the off-loading game they've got.
"They have potent individuals behind the scrum - big threats with ball in hand - and the challenge for any team is to create the space on the field and to take advantage of the opposition.
"There isn't that much space to be found in modern-day rugby with defences being as organised as they can be."
