The fact those failures to stop England centre Riki Flutey in his tracks are uppermost in Jones’ mind, rather than a remarkable 21 successful tackles he completed, says everything about Wales’ exacting standards under Warren Gatland.

“We had been hammering on all week about Flutey’s left-foot step and I missed it twice,” said the Wales and Ospreys lock.

“It should have been 23 tackles rather than 21. I guess it was a case of being too keen in defence.”

Jones has also played a pivotal role in Wales winning 15 out of 16 lineouts during victories over Scotland and England.

It confirms the statistics are starting to stack up in Wales’ favour and that is exactly how they like it.

Head coach Gatland willingly empowers and entrusts his players with taking responsibility during games and in training.

It is a policy built around honesty, and while the truth might hurt sometimes, Jones believes it is a vital component towards Wales’ continued success.

He added: “The balance we need is between being critical and harsh, and getting that element of fine detail we need in a game.

“We are becoming a lot more honest. I think it was hard at first because we’ve had a culture of being very nice to each other in Wales.

“The honesty is there now and being critical is something we’ve got to develop and instill within the culture.

“It is not a case of being bitchy, it’s a case of what is good for the squad and for the team. If someone is not doing their role, then they are being brought up on it.

“It’s very easy to watch a coach doing it - it’s quite difficult for a player - but we are endeavouring to develop that.

“It is probably one of the most difficult parts of training when you’ve got to pull up your mate and say ’that’s not good enough’.

“But we are all comfortable with each other and comfortable enough to say that to each other.”

Jones and company fly to France tomorrow in advance of the RBS 6 Nations’ first Friday night fixture.

Victory over Les Bleus would not only be Wales’ fourth from six visits to Stade de France, but would also keep them firmly on course for a successful RBS 6 Nations title defence and first back-to-back Grand Slams since 1909.

And while many pundits are predicting a Paris try-fest, given both teams’ natural attacking instincts, an in-form Welsh front five could once again hold the key to success.

Jones, his second-row partner Ian Gough and the front-row of Gethin Jenkins, Matthew Rees and Adam Jones were instrumental in wins against Scotland and England earlier this month.

Gatland calls it “the donkey work” that allows other players to shine - and even Jones was in awe of what unfolded during the England clash.

“If you look at Gethin (Jenkins), he made 15 tackles against England. The stats speak for themselves,” Jones said.

“There was one passage of play when he tackled on the 10-metre line, then turned and worked his way back and tackled someone else on the 22. That is a great work-rate for a prop.

“There is a lot of competition within the squad, with all the boys wanting to do the best for the team. It’s a good environment to be in.”

France, whose Grand Slam hopes disappeared on day one of this season’s tournament with defeat against Ireland in Dublin, will face Wales following a disrupted build-up.

Domestic club games last weekend have impacted heavily on coach Marc Lievremont’s preparations, but France can probably defy logic more successfully than any other team in the game.

“You know France are going to try to attack from everywhere,” said Jones.

“Their game-plan seems to be to score off every opportunity. It is going to be a very stressful evening but exciting at the same time.

“There is such limited pattern in their game. It is unpredictable.

“It could either be a war of attrition or a very exciting game with a high ball-in-play time and a lot of running rugby.

“It will be one of the two extremes, I think.”