The world at their feet - Now Wales believe they can tame Springboks

While an ecstatic nation continued to wallow in the glory of a remarkable European conquest, coach Warren Gatland and his bleary-eyed captain Ryan Jones were already looking ahead to the next stage of the Dragons' revival.

Once the combination of ferocious defence and phenomenal willpower had accounted for France at a cacophonous Millennium Stadium on Saturday, the unbeaten RBS Six Nations title-holders were left to contemplate a mouth-watering north v south showdown in June.

On successive weekends, in Durban and Pretoria, Wales will confront World Cup winners South Africa in what is shaping up to be a sensational two-match series. In light of their second Grand Slam in three years, the tourists are likely to be more or less at full strength, with the intention of building on the momentum they have so rapidly established.

Given that the Springboks will be without a number of the players whose exploits secured the Webb Ellis Cup last October, they could be vulnerable. Throw in the added complication of a new national coach, Peter de Villiers, who has yet to formally agree contractual terms after his controversial appointment, and Wales will smell blood. Gatland, who wants his players to regard their Grand Slam success as the first stop on a long journey rather than as the ultimate destination, believes the challenge awaiting them is daunting, but not insurmountable.

'It's another step for us,' he said. 'I know how tough it is to win in South Africa and win at altitude. We will be testing ourselves against the world champions.

'We've got to apply our principles of putting bodies on the line, being honest, trying really hard, putting pride back into the jersey. These guys have delivered on all those fronts so far, so we will go to South Africa without any trepidation and say: "Let's have a go, let's have a crack".'

Jones sounded a similarly upbeat note, adding: 'We would certainly go down to South Africa believing we can perform and if we get everything right and impose ourselves, we'll hold our own against any team.' One crucial issue Gatland will have to resolve is the availability of Martyn Williams. The Kiwi coach will have a chat with his veteran openside flanker to establish whether he would prefer to make the trip to South Africa or rest at the end of an arduous season. On the evidence of Saturday's momentous game, he would want Williams on board. The 32-year-old Cardiff No 7 was man of the match for the umpteenth time in his international career and it was his opportunist's try three minutes from time which finally ended French resistance. While the visitors rarely looked capable of puncturing the blitz defence which Shaun Edwards has so expertly constructed, they commanded vast swathes of possession. Yet, their defiance waned once a knock-on from Yannick Jauzion had presented Shane Williams with the match-turning score on the hour that made him Wales' record try-scorer with 41, surpassing the mark set by Gareth Thomas. When France's pack were shoved back off their own scrum ball in the Welsh 22, the home side knew the writing was on the wall. 'That was the turning point,' said Jones. 'That was the moment we knew they had cracked, we were better than them and it was our game. It was a huge pat on the back for the tight five.' There should be plenty of other Welsh backs patted too, notably Gavin Henson's. The centre produced another dazzling display of explosive running and big hits and came out comfortably in credit despite picking up a yellow card for catching Fulgence Ouedraogo on the throat with a swinging arm. There were countless heroes in red shirts. Lock Ian Gough was relentlessly committed on his 50th appearance, Tom Shanklin threw the proverbial kitchen sink at the French midfield and full back Lee Byrne was once again a commanding presence under the high ball. But in terms of individual heroism, n o o n e c o u l d m a t c h t h e skipper. Ryan Jones finished the championship as leading ball-carrier and second-highest tackler behind Martyn Williams. He led with understated steel, laced with an innate good nature. The Lions captaincy really is his for the taking. As Cardiff erupted in rain-soaked euphoria, Shanklin summed up why this Slam was even more remarkable than the one he played a part in three years ago. 'In 2005 we had a run of form going into it,' he said. 'This time we had a poor World Cup and no one would have thought we could win a Grand Slam on the back of that."

Gatland knows that in between Slams, Wales won only two Six Nations matches and is determined not to suffer a repeat. He said: "You are never going to stay at that peak. Our challenge now as coaches and players is to build some consistency on this season so we don't have the highs and the lows that Wales experienced since 2005.

"The work is just starting now. I wasn't trying to give myself a couple of years of job security when I said it, but I do believe this team is 12 months or two years away from their best."