IF Saturday's Six Nations Championship finale gets phsyical - as games between Wales and France often do - one player who won't mind a bit is Alix Popham.

The Bassaleg-born number eight, who spent six years with Newport and won every schoolboy honour in the book before moving on to Leeds and then Llanelli Scarlets, relishes that side of the game.

Though Popham, who now lives at Bridgend, believes it took more than a few hefty tackles playing for the Scarlets in their recent Powergen Cup semi-final victory over Bath to get into the Welsh team, he is still aware of the importance of that side of the game.

"I've always liked the physical side of the game, I just try and be as physical as I can. It's important to close their space down quickly and stop them playing really," he said.

"The French back row will be physical, it would be hard whoever they played there.

"The Powergen Cup game helped because it was more in the public eye in England and Wales, but I think I've been in good form all year with the Scarlets.

"Scott Johnson names his team later than Mike Ruddock, and I'm really pleased to be playing. When you're not involved you want to start.

"I thought I was playing well enough to start, you've just got to have faith in your own ability or there's no point. You've got to think you're better than or on a par with your opponents.

"I think it probably helped being back playing week in, week out in Wales because I was competing with those fighting for places whereas in the Leeds side I didn't get that opportunity."

Popham accepts that France will go in as favourites, but he's quite happy with them being given that tag and with playing at number eight.

"They're not good travellers, but they're a world class team, they'll go in as favourites which is not bad for us, and they'll have all guns blazing," he said.

"I'm more confident at number eight, I'm more than happy to be playing there. Gareth Jenkins (Scarlets coach) told me to bide my time and that I would get a shout some time, but I didn't think I would after being on the bench twice.

"He's a good coach, he gets the boys motivated and they respect him, they want to play for him."