Tindall - 'nothing to lose' (Getty Images).

By Andrew Baldock, PA Sport Rugby Union Correspondent, Paris

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Mike Tindall has rallied England for their RBS Six Nations title showdown with France by declaring: "It's time we showed up."

England have an outside chance of retaining the championship crown, but only if they win by at least seven points and stay ahead on overall try count against France. An eight-point margin or more would render the try count irrelevant.

Even then, Ireland could still tear up the script, although they would need something like a clear 50-point win against Dublin visitors and wooden spoon favourites Scotland.

Just for once, world champions England are not in control of the situation, but there can be few complaints following a disappointing campaign that saw Ireland defeat them at Twickenham - England's first home loss since 1999.

"It is important that we give France everything we have got," said Bath centre Tindall.

"We will be the underdogs going into the game, which is a first for a while now, but we have got nothing to lose. It is time we showed up.

"There were a lot of good things we did against Wales last weekend, but also some things that we didn't do so well, and we have got to rectify that against the French."

England's forwards will need to dominate their opponents and provide rookie fly-half Olly Barkley with a platform, but the Grand Slam-chasing French are in no mood to play second fiddle.

"The French are an excellent team, and playing against their forwards will be extremely tough," said England lock Danny Grewcock.

"They are fantastic all over the field, and when you play them, you can really measure how good a player you are. The French are a little stronger than most sides, and lineout-wise, they are probably one of the best teams in the world."

Flanker Joe Worsley added: "You are never going to win easily against France - it is always going to be a huge battle.

"I think that France have been more consistent than us in this Six Nations, and that is why they have won all their games.

"Neither team has been firing on all cylinders, but I think they have picked up their game a bit lately. It is disappointing that it will not be a Grand Slam decider, but it will still be a great game."

Form and momentum suggests that France will complete a clean sweep, secure the title and avenge their World Cup semi-final defeat against England last November.

"We had a bad day against Ireland, but it doesn't matter what other people say," conceded England head coach Sir Clive Woodward.

"You have just got to concentrate on your own ability to coach and manage the team, and we would rather do our talking after the game."

The England pack recovered from a dismal effort against Ireland to dominate the set-piece encounters at Wales' expense, but the French eight will provide a stern examination.

The French scrum has proved immovable throughout the tournament, and England must at least gain parity in that area, otherwise their victory hopes will surely evaporate.

"As always, we are really excited about the challenge. The guys know what they have got to do up front," said England coach Andy Robinson.

"This is a game of attitude, and the attitude among the players this week has been immense. You want to test yourself against the best, and there has been a bit of an edge in our preparations."

France though, are on a roll, and with home advantage they should complete the job and take the Six Nations title away from England's grasp.

From their standpoint, England have proved consistently under Woodward that they perform best when the pressure is really on. There will be no greater example of that if they can upset the formbook in Paris.