Six Nations: England's slam bid fuelled by recent close calls, says Danny Care

They head to Paris on Saturday already installed as the tournament’s champions, but with a golden chance to complete a first clean sweep since 2003.

England, reinvigorated since Eddie Jones’s arrival in December, are favourites to do so, not only due to their own improvements but the erratic form of their hosts.

However, former Leeds Carnegie scrum-half Care, who won his 57th cap as they defeated Wales at Twickenham last Saturday, knows only too well how France can never be written off.

“We’ve watched all their games and know how tough it will be to play in Paris,” he said.

“I’ve been there a few times now and I know they will want to beat us. We go there expecting a very difficult game. Last year’s Six Nations game here (a 55-35 England win) was a crazy one and the fans would probably like to see another one of those.

“We’d probably take a 9-0 now, but it’s going to be a great game whatever. We’ll focus on them this week and getting the job done to complete the slam.”

Harlequins’ Care, who came on for Ben Youngs, was left with the responsibility of hammering the ball into touch to signal the end of their 25-21 win over Wales, just as the visitors had threatened to ruin England’s title hopes by running in 14 late points.

“I enjoyed that one,” said the Yorkshireman, as they survived the desperate onslaught having earlier led 25-7.

“I made sure it went out that’s for sure. It was an edgy and tight end to the game and it was down to our own wrongdoings.

“The yellow card (for Dan Cole)didn’t help, but we slipped off too many tackles and gave them too much space out wide to take easy yards and they showed how good a team they are. They took their chances.

“But I thought for the first 40 or 50 minutes the lads were brilliant. It was a really, really good performance, but it’s all about getting that 80-minute performance and hopefully we’ll do that in France.”

Leeds-born Care knows what it feels like to miss out on a grand slam. He was a replacement in Dublin in 2011 when England won the title but lost their final game against Ireland, 24-8.

The same occurred two years later when he, once more, came on for Youngs in a record 30-3 defeat to Wales in Cardiff.

However, everything points to he and England making it third time lucky when it comes to this weekend – both Wales and Ireland were far more experienced and garlanded opponents than the French are now – and both scrum-halves are looking to finally set the record straight.

Youngs, the Leicester Tigers No 9, who has started all four games this season, admitted: “I have been there a few times as a player and come up short.

“You just have to approach it as another game and if you get too hyped up about it and over-think it, you probably might freeze and it is doubly disappointing.

“When you have a guy like Eddie who is so experienced and very good at enforcing belief within the side, he’ll continue to do that. I think we have a good bunch of guys here who have been through some ups and downs and hopefully those experiences will count this week.”

Asked if they have learned from what occurred in 2011 and 2013, Youngs replied: “I bloody hope so. I don’t want to go through it again. I remember in 2011 it was very bittersweet.

“We’d won the cup but we’d been pumped by Ireland. I don’t want to feel that weird sensation again. I think we will do it. The Welsh team have won a number of grand slams and gone through adversity at the same time.

“I think you have to in order to be able to do it. If we could go all the way it’d be fantastic and it would show we’ve learned lessons, not only from previous Six Nations but the World Cup, too.”

Youngs is expected to retain the No 9 shirt ahead of his great rival Care but he knows it is still not truly his.

“I have yo-yoed so many times, up and down, you never think that and no one does,” said the 26-year-old. “When you have the opportunity to play you do and you do whatever needs to be done in terms of what the coaches are looking for and how the team needs you to perform in that role.

“But I have been in and out so many times before that if you ever think that you will be out.”

Meanwhile, England prop Joe Marler has been cited for allegedly striking an opponent in the win over Wales and could be banned for the France trip.

He faces an independent disciplinary committee later this week and has separately already apologised to Wales prop Samson Lee for calling him a “gypsy boy” in the same game.