Pascal Pape is determined to put last year's World Cup heartbreak behind him as he embarks on the latest chapter in his fluctuating France career.

Pape openly admits he struggled to deal with his omission from Les Bleus' 30-man World Cup party after he had captained his country on last summer's tour of New Zealand.

But the lock has bounced back and has been in great form for Stade Francais in his first season at the Paris club.

The 27-year-old missed out on the first two rounds of this year's RBS 6 Nations but was one of three new faces named in head coach Marc Lievremont's squad on Wednesday for the clash with England on Saturday week.

He is desperate to grab this latest chance with both hands.

"It wasn't a lot of fun," Pape said of his World Cup exclusion. "My career objective vanished in a matter of days and it was difficult to take.

"For four years, I was a regular in the France squad, and then that. It was a failure and it remains so, even if I have moved on to other things now.

"But I have a great desire. When you have had a taste, it is like a drug - it is difficult to be deprived of it. For me, this is almost like winning my first cap again."

Pape's close-season move from Castres to Stade last summer has certainly breathed new life into his career.

Many believed he was unlucky to miss out on selection for the opening Six Nations games against Scotland and Ireland, given his outstanding club performances.

He believes he has been re-energised by his switch to the capital.

He said: "I owe a lot to my club.

"I was lucky to be able to change clubs in between seasons. By coming to Paris, I could focus my energy on something other than my disappointment at not being selected for the World Cup.

"I could fix new objectives for myself and digest everything that had happened. I had a challenge ahead because I was taking over from David Auradou and Mike James, players I have a lot of respect for."

If Pape is selected in the starting XV for the match against England, he will join forces again with Lionel Nallet, the newly-appointed France captain who was his team-mate at Castres.

Pape will compete with Romain Millo-Chlusky, another newcomer in the France squad, for a place in the second row.

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