Rennie expecting backlash

The Scottish outfit know they have to come away with the spoils in the intimidating Stade du Manoir to keep their hopes of a Heineken Cup quarter-finals place alive in Pool 2.

Edinburgh are level on points with fellow Pro12 side and Welsh region, the Cardiff Blues, as the race for a place in the knockout stages of European rugby's top flight competition.

"No French team playing at home likes losing," said Rennie. "It's still going to be a very tough game, especially as we have also had to spend part of this week fixing things that didn't go right against Ulster in the league last Friday."

"I have probably played about six times against French opponents, enough to know their style is different.

"They like to pass the ball before contact which is unusual and they look for a lot more offloads than we do in the UK.

"There are just different challenges across the park from what we are used to

"If we get a good platform that will be a start because there is no bigger challenge than trying to win in France."

The Parisians are probably already out of the qualification process for the last eight of the tournament but Rennie believes that makes the unpredictable French side even more dangerous.

The 11-times capped Rennie, who was named in Andy Robinson's Six Nations squad, admits making sure Scotland has a side in the Heineken Cup quarter-finals for the first time in eight years is the only thing on his mind at the moment.

"The previous match against Racing showed how tiny things make a difference," said Rennie.

"With that sort of attention to detail required there is certainly no time to think about the Six Nations."