NEIL Jenkins yesterday demonstrated diplomacy skills worthy of Henry Kissinger and Khofi Anan when he built up Les Bleus as well, if not better, than your average patriotic Frenchman, writes Iwan Davies.

Wales great Jenkins, now on the nation’s coaching staff as kicking coach, gave a masterclass in how not to rile the opposition ahead of a do-or-die Grand Slam decider at a press conference.

Not giving the opposition any added ammunition is a lesson Wales have learned the hard way.

Remember Warren Gatland’s gaffes in 2009 when his insistence that Wales disliked Ireland and swipe at England hooker Dylan Hartley last year backfired so badly?

The questions fired at Jenkins weren’t exactly rapier like – the old clichéd favourite about which France was going to turn up was one as well as the hackneyed latest about this being a grudge match for Wales after Sam Warburton’s controversial sending off in last autumn’s desperately unlucky 9-8 World Cup semi-final defeat.

But the ex-outside-half deflected them with consummate ease.

The complexion of this weekend’s match has changed dramatically over the last two weeks. In their opening two games France were on course to make the Millennium Stadium clash a winner-takes-all Grand Slam showdown, but a draw with Ireland in Paris, followed by England’s Stade de France success on Sunday has left them out of the championship picture.

Coach Philippe Saint-Andre has responded by making six changes to his squad as Julien Pierre, Fulgence Ouedraogo, Dimitri Yachvili, Alexis Palisson, Florian Fritz and Jean-Marcellin Buttin have all been called up.

Wales have a poor record against the French, losing 11 of the last 14 meetings between the sides, including the heartbreaking reverse in Auckland in October.

Jenkins was keen to play up France and play down Wales when he said: “We are playing a side we haven’t beaten since 2008. They are a very good side. They were very unlucky not to win the World Cup after they beat us in the semi-final.

“We are under no illusion as to what is ahead of us. They are a fantastic side with a lot of good players.”

The 1997 Lions star, who won a Five Nations title with Wales in 1994, added: “Probably France’s defeat on Sunday will only hurt them more and they will want to come and prove a lot of people wrong.

“They’ve got huge strength in depth and some of the players coming in are pretty impressive as well. Whatever side they put on the pitch on Saturday will be a very good side and they’ll be wanting to win.”