FRANCE will be the acid test in Paris next week, forecasts Michael Owen, the Newport Gwent Dragons number eight.

Wales are flying now with two wins out of two and seven tries, six against Italy in Rome on Saturday, and just one against.

That puts them right up there as joint Six Nations Championship leaders with Ireland and France, each with two wins, and World Cup winners England a distant fourth.

Something will have to give at the Stade de France a week Saturday when two unbeaten sides meet.

Wales have nothing to fear after they sent an estimated 10,000 fans in the 25,000 capacity Stadio Flaminio delirious with delight after their demolition job on the Italians.

And they need not be fazed about travelling any more after bringing an end to a dismal run of seven successive away championship defeats.

"France will be the acid test for us now," said Owen. "We've got to go out there and make it happen. I haven't played in Paris before, but it will be up to us if we want to make this team something special, we'll have to work hard for sure.

"We are showing growing maturity as a team. I'm 24 and there are loads in the team like that, this squad has been together a long time now, though Steve Hansen has left some legacy.

"We've got players ready to step in and though it's one game at a time there's a lot of emphasis after the England game to get on with it.

"We knew the way Italy would play and it was brilliant to win the way we did using all our skills." And he warned France, "We're improving steadily as a team."

l Veteran Wales lock Gareth Llewellyn has announced he intends to retire from international rugby at the end of the season, just short of his 36th birthday.

Llewellyn has won 92 caps, making him Wales' most capped player and is still in Wales squad, but was overlooked for the England and Italy games. He is undecided whether to quit altogether.

"I think the time is right," said Llewellyn, now playing for Narbonne in France. "If I do get on the field in the championship brilliant, if I don't I'll be sad, but if the guys go on to win the Grand Slam I'll be over the moon for them."