France, considered by many as tournament favourites, have been bolstered by the return of fit-again Romain Ntamack, while Antoine Dupont is back on Six Nations duty having missed the tournament in 2024.
But Shanklin thinks there is no better time to play the French.
“We’re coming into this campaign off the back of some good regional performances which will help a little bit of confidence, a little bit of self-belief,” he said.
“You’ve got to cling on to the positives because if you look at the two teams, France and Wales, they are just not comparable.
“Part of me thinks it’s the best time to play France… Sometimes you want to get teams before they get too much momentum. But it’s also a tough one because we’re going in cold as well.”
An optimistic Jones predicts Wales to win by two points.
“We’re unbeaten in 2025,” he joked, with Wales yet to play in this calendar year.
“It’s a positive thing, it’s not meant to be tongue in cheek, because as players they will want to move on as well.”
But Jones warned this French side are different than many in the past, in that Wales will know which which opponent will turn up.
“They’ve got a bit more structure, they don’t seem as aloof. Once they’ve scored they want to score again, they don’t sit back,” he said.
“It’s going to be a tough ask, but it’s funny what can happen.”
