When people ask me about this England v Wales game, one of the biggest challenges for the England players is understanding how much this means to the Welsh players, to the Welsh supporters and the country as a whole.

The French come with no pressure, no expectation, and that is when they are at their most dangerous. If England take to the field with the right attitude, then they have the ability to win, if they lose focus at any time, then the French could start smiling.

Quite simple really. In essence, I want to see that England kick on from the New Zealand game. I want to see that they have not wallowed in the result for too long and I want to see that they have the steel and desire to move on and improve from it. Not too much to ask is it?

What did, or what do international rugby match days mean to you? What did they mean to me? Way back, and yes, we are talking way way back, when I was little, they were great days of hope and excitement. England were playing, and the men is white were going to be awesome!

The game is different. It is a different generation, and yes they are bigger, faster, stronger, and I am bloody grateful that I am in the stand or watching safely on TV! It is not for me to say whether it is better, just as when I was playing it was not right to say that our game was better than that played by such genuine legends as Duckham, Bennett, JPR, Edwards and Slattery etc.

The new culture needs to start with respect for the shirt, not just for the honour of wearing it now, but for its history and the players that have gone before.

HuffPostUK Sport launches today, and like the new England captain, Scott Parker, we're eager to get stuck into proceedings straight from the kick off....

The Six Nations approaches it's climactic weekend, and it's got me thinking. What makes it so special, what makes it so brilliant and so bloody gut wrenching? It's a bit like house matches at school, they were often more intense and violent than games against other schools. Why?