Jones gets down to business

The Dragons breathed fire against the RBS Six Nations leaders after stunning the Stade de France crowd with early tries from Alix Popham and Tom Shanklin. Yet France showed why they are ranked the second best team in the world with a rousing comeback through Christophe Dominici and Lionel Nallet.

Replacement Jamie Robinson scorched over six minutes from time to cap a gutsy display but was too late to save Wales from a 32-21 defeat in Paris in spite of edging the try count by three to two.

Jones commented: “We had a great start, we had a bit of possession and managed to implement our game plan early and showed what we can do in attack. You have to give France credit for the way they came back at the end of the first half. They are a world-class team and they put us under a lot of pressure.”

Popham and Shanklin went over inside fifteen minutes to end Wales’s long wait for a try in the RBS Six Nations this season and deliver the perfect response to the disappointment of their defeat to Scotland two weeks ago.

Jones continued: “Motivation has never been a problem. We suffered a huge set-back two weeks ago with the performance against Scotland and a lot of things were said about the team. Yet we took the performance on the chin and physically we were a lot more efficient against France. We will keep working and identifying our weaknesses but I’m sure we are moving in the right direction.”

Wales will now face Italy in Rome in two weeks with the Azzurri on a high following their victory over Scotland. Gareth Thomas will be available after serving a four-week suspension but Llanelli Scarlets wing Mark Jones is an early concern after damaging rib cartilage against France.