That is according to outside-half Stephen Jones who came within a minute of being Wales’ hero against Ireland in Cardiff.
Jones looked to have stolen victory for Wales with a dramatic injury-time dropped goal.
But Ronan O’Gara’s last-gasp reply sealed a dramatic victory for Ireland and left Wales facing the prospect of both the wooden spoon and a record run of defeats if they lose in Paris.
‘It’s going to be bitterly disappointing if that happens,’ said Jones.
‘All the players will be gutted if that is all we managed to achieve in this Six Nations campaign.
‘We haven’t done ourselves justice and we are a far better team than results have shown.
‘But we have got to keep our minds on the performances and making sure they keep going the right way.’
Wales were on the verge of a desperately needed victory when Jones struck a minute into injury-time before ecstasy turned to agony with O’Gara’s heart-stopping response.
O’GARA KEEPS IRISH DREAM ALIVE
‘That was probably the worst I have ever felt coming off a rugby pitch,’ said Jones.
‘Last year’s game against France was painful because we nearly scored but Saturday was even worse because we really thought we had won.
‘I have never seen anything like those last few minutes of the game – they were desperate,’ he said.
‘We all went through the full range of emotions in just a few minutes. One minute we thought we had won it, then we hadn’t.’
But while the 25-24 defeat extended Ireland’s grip in Cardiff, Wales will be looking to secure a hat-trick of victories in Paris having won on their last two visits in 1999 and 2001.
THOMAS LOOKS TO PARIS
‘I think it will be a high-scoring game but there is no reason why we should not be confident,’ said Jones.
‘However Bernard Laporte (France’s coach) has been pretty scathing about the players recently and I think they will be chomping at the bit to confirm their selections for the World Cup.’
