For 80 minutes, Wales had a plan to stifle France, doing their best to squeeze the joie from their joie de vivre.
It wasn't always pretty, and, at times, it stifled their own attacking opportunities, as demonstrated by the first home Six Nations clash in Cardiff without a Welsh try since Ronan O'Gara snatched an Irish Grand Slam back in 2009.
But for 75-odd minutes, Wales believed their master plan could work.