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Wales lock Ian Gough is hoping for a double celebration on Saturday - winning his 50th cap and lifting the Grand Slam.

The Ospreys forward can be forgiven for thinking that the landmark half-century would never arrive, having missed out on the 1999 and 2003 World Cups plus the 2005 Grand Slam.

However the 31-year-old will finally achieve the honour against France at the Millennium Stadium - and he is hoping that he can combine it with the Grand Slam.

"It's going to be an amazing occasion," said Gough.

"I never thought I would make it and it's going to be special in a game of this magnitude. I'm sure I'll relish it though, leading the team out has not been discussed but it would be nice.

"To get here is superb after my first cap back in 1998, which was the slaying by South Africa.

"I missed those World Cups but the downs have made me appreciate the highs more.

"Now it's better than ever, the boys are playing superbly and it's a happy camp, everything is great when you're winning and there's a lot of confidence."

France arrive in Cardiff knowing that they need to win by at least 20 points if they are to spoil the Welsh party and lift the Six Nations title for themselves.

Careful

And France winger Vincent Clerc has pin-pointed Shane Williams as the main threat to their hopes of lifting the title.

"He isn't your typical player," Clerc said of Williams, who has scored 40 tries in international rugby.

"He is very quick and having played against him on several occasions, I know we must be very careful with him.

"But other players, such as Lee Byrne especially, have qualities that are just as effective. We mustn't have a fixation with Williams."

Wales: 15 L Byrne (Ospreys), 14 M Jones (Llanelli Scarlets), 13 T Shanklin (Cardiff Blues), 12 G Henson (Ospreys), 11 S Williams (Ospreys), 10 J Hook (Ospreys), 9 M Phillips (Ospreys), 1 G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), 2 H Bennett (Ospreys), 3 A Jones (Ospreys), 4 I Gough (Ospreys), 5 AW Jones (Ospreys), 6 J Thomas (Ospreys), 7 M Williams (Cardiff Blues), 8 R Jones (Ospreys, capt).
Replacements: 16 M Rees (Llanelli Scarlets), 17 D Jones (Ospreys), 18 I Evans (Ospreys), 19 G Delve (Gloucester), 20 D Peel (Llanelli Scarlets), 21 S Jones (Llanelli Scarlets), 22 S Parker (Ospreys).

France: 15 A Floch (Clermont-Auvergne), 14 V Clerc, 13 Y Jauzion (both Toulouse), 12 D Traille (Biarritz), 11 J Malzieu (Clermont-Auvergne), 10 D Skrela (Stade Francais), 9 J-B Elissalde (Toulouse), 1 F Barcella (Auch), 2 D Szarzewski (Stade Francais), 3 N Mas (Perpignan), 4 L Nallet (Castres, capt), 5 J Thion (Biarritz), 6 T Dusautoir (Toulouse), 7 F Ouedraogo (Montpellier), 8 J Bonnaire (Clermont-Auvergne).
Replacements: 16 W Servat, 17 J-B Poux (both Toulouse), 18 A Mela (Albi), 19 E Vermeulen (Clermont-Auvergne), 20 D Yachvili (Biarritz), 21 F Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), 22 C Heymans (Toulouse).