We are nearing 500 days until the opening game of the Rugby World Cup – France v the All Blacks at the Stade de France - and with their Six Nations victory over England at the same venue at the weekend, the French displayed why they will take the field as favourites to claim the William Webb Ellis trophy for the first time.

The 500-days-to-go milestone will be a neat little indicator that the World Cup is fast approaching (we’re at 535 today), but with their dominant 25-13 victory in Paris at the weekend the Tricolours put a tick in a far more meaningful box.

The Rugby Championship has been ruined by Covid over the past couple of years, which may have added to a growing sense of public apathy towards the competition in these parts, but the Six Nations has lost none of its lustre.

In fact, over that time, and especially this season, it has grown in stature. There’s no doubt it’s the best international competition outside of the World Cup, and the hype was all about one nation heading into the weekend - France - and their bid to win the grand slam and Six Nations with a victory over an England team determined to spoil the party.

That the Tricolours triumphed with such panache combined with hard-mindedness – the proverbial steel fist in a velvet glove – despite the expectation suggests they will be comfortable with the spotlight ahead of the first World Cup pool game in September next year.

They’ve already done it in a slightly lesser setting, of course. Last November the All Blacks arrived in Paris determined to put the world to rights after an underwhelming performance in a defeat to Ireland in Dublin and ran into a French team high on confidence and a deep understanding of how to get the best out of their attacking weapons.

The same could not be said of the All Blacks. Up 24-6 at halftime, and the French beating the visitors all over the park, the All Blacks fought back but a remarkable counter-attack sparked by Romain Ntamack, and an intercept try gifted by David Havili, allowed the French to ease to a 40-25 win. It was the first time the All Blacks have lost to France in Paris since 1973.

In first-five Ntamack and halfback Antoine Dupont, France have two of the most dominant playmakers in world rugby. Dupont’s second-half try in Paris at the weekend as England threatened a comeback was as typical as it was expected given his influence over the side.

As a collective they know what it takes to win and they have a head coach in Fabien Galthie who has galvanised a squad like few others before him.

He has even corralled the disparate interests of wealthy and influential French club owners into line roughly with his own.

It cannot be overstated how important a cog Galthie, the former French international, is within the rapidly improving French rugby machine. There has generally been a sense among French rugby players that coaches and managers are a necessary evil; that they are an obstacle to their own natural talent and genius. But that is not the case with Galthie, who has a personality and presence to match Ntamack, Dupont or any of his team’s stars.

“There are no Toulousains in the French team,” Galthie told a reporter who stated that there were nine Toulouse players in his starting XV for the recent England match. “Or Bordelais, Clermontois or Parisians. This is our French team.”

There appears to be less certainty among the All Blacks, who were outgunned and out-thought last year when the Springboks, Irish and French turned up the pressure.

The All Blacks have never lost a World Cup pool game, a record they kept in Japan in 2019 despite facing eventual champions South Africa in their opener. Ironically, the All Blacks' win put them on a tougher course of Ireland and England in the knockout matches, while the Boks faced Japan and Wales before beating England in the final.

Next year the winner of the opening game has the added incentive of likely avoiding South Africa in their quarter-final.

Ian Foster’s team will arrive in Paris next year with the World Cup pedigree but at this stage it’s France who appear to have all the answers.