Welsh luck ran out but future looks much brighter | Shane Williams

For some it could have been the ‘Lucky 13th'Grand Slam, but in the end the luck ran out. Fair play to the French, they kept going and going and going and deserved their win in the end.

But let's not be too downhearted. The Slam was there up until the 82nd minute of the game and we scored three tries and 30 points in Paris. What might have been will forever be a dream, but what a magnificent game it was.

The title could still be ours if the Scots can do us a favour, but let's just salute an incredible effort from Alun Wyn Jones' side. They went toe to toe with the French in Paris and were almost good enough to deliver a knock-out blow.

The disallowed try and red card may have played its part in keeping Wales in the game, but how cruel was it to see the corner effort from Louis Rees-Zammit ruled out by a fraction of an inch.

This was very much a shot to nothing for Wayne Pivac's team after their appalling 2020. Nobody gave them a prayer of coming near the top of the Six Nations table but what they showed in a breathless contest at Stade de France is they can still produce against the biggest rugby nations in the world.

When you concede a try within six minutes to the French in a game they have to win with a bonus point to stay on course for the title then you know you are in for a long night at the office. You get back into it with a try of your own and then concede again.

The character of this Welsh team shone through in the first quarter as they said anything you can do, we can do better. Twice the French hit the front, yet by the end of first quarter Wales were ahead and it was all square at the break.

Earlier in the day we had seen the value of experience shine through in Dublin with Johnny Sexton's masterclass against England, but Dan Biggar more than matched him in Paris. Which one of those two is going to wear No.10 for the British & Irish Lions this summer?

I'll tell you who will be playing for the Lions if they do get to play the world champion Springboks is Josh Navidi. He was simply magnificent all night in Paris, from his tackling, to his jackaling to his try.

It used to be at half-back that Wales were at their strongest. Whistle down a mine and up would come a new, world bating outside half. These days that applies to the back row.

Of course, the imperious Taulupe Faletau is still doing at his very best what he was always done, delivering gold standard play at No 8, but after Sam Warburton's retirement Justin Tipuric has taken the No 7 jersey to new heights. And now Navidi has established himself as arguably the best No 6 in the northern hemisphere.

We dared to dream, and in the end the dream turned into a nightmare. But it was still a much, much better Six Nations than we had thought it was going to be.

Many Welsh teams have suffered in France. This is a good team that is only going to get better and the bitter experience of missing out on a Grand Slam will only add to their experience.

It was 50 years ago this month that the emerging superstars of the Seventies won the first of their three Grand Slams in Paris. As great as they were, they now have some modern day equivalents to match them in the likes of Alun Wyn, The Sherrif, Taulupe, Tips, Biggs, Goerge North and Jonathan Davies.

I just feel sorry for Alun Wyn, our ‘Captain fantastic' who missed out on a record equalling fourth Grand Slam by a whisker. We had control of the able with the clock counting down and we committed the ultimate sin of giving away a penalty.

That let France in and they earned their just reward. We were on the edvge of our seats to the end of the match and the end of the championship, and the fact this Welsh team was still on course for an unlikely Grand Slam in the second minute of injury time in round five is a credit to Wayne Pivac and his coaching team.

They have galvanised the players in Wales, moved on from the Warren Gatland era and set out a roadmap for the future. We can more confidently forward from here and be thankful that the regional system is still producing world class players.

The majority of this Welsh squad will have a Lions tour to look forward to after their sterling efforts in this campaign. Battling against their Boks can give them a new target to aim for and they deserve that.

Once the bitter, bitter disappointment of losing at the death has worn off we can all put on our kilts and cheer for the Scots on Friday night. If they stop the French from winning with a bonus piont then the title will go to Alun Wyn Jones' team.

What a tribute to the great man of welsh sport that would be. He hauled his team from one game to the next, out of last season's doldrums and into a new, highly promising era.

The future is much, much brighter than it looked six months ago and that is the real bonus that has emerged from this Six Nations.