Wayne Pivac shrugged off the suggestion Wales had luck on their side as they overcame England 40-24 to wrap up a Six Nations triple crown.
Wales have now beaten Ireland, Scotland and England across their opening three matches to take a five-point lead at the top of the standings, though second-placed France have a game in hand.
Saturday's victory was not without its contentious moments, however, as the calls of referee Pascal Gauzere took centre stage in the first half.
First, the French official allowed Josh Adams' opening try to stand, despite having given England little time to set themselves from a Wales penalty, with the referee having asked Owen Farrell to speak to his team.
Gauzere then made the on-field decision to award Liam Williams' try, with TMO unable to definitively prove that Louis Rees-Zammit had knocked on in the build-up.
Wales benefitted from a red card in their wins over Ireland and Scotland, but Pivac put the victory against England in Cardiff down to his team's application.
"Some people are going to say that, they'll say it's been on our side for the last three matches, but you've got to be in games to win them," Pivac told BBC Sport.
"England put a lot of pressure on us and came back, each time we hit them they came back again, so it was a hell of a game and a lot of resilience shown from our boys."
Asked if he had any sympathy for England, Pivac added: "I think when you give away that many penalties – one player giving away five penalties – I think you’re lucky not to concede a yellow card to be honest. I suppose you could argue either way."
Wales lost four of their five games in last season's Six Nations campaign, finishing fifth above winless Italy, yet now look on course for a Grand Slam.
"Time. A bit of time," was Pivac's explanation when asked how his team have turned their fortunes around.
"We've picked a squad to get results in this tournament and we had a good look at some players in the last tournament that we've well and truly documented, but certainly time together and I think you can see there's a good bond growing in this group.
"They enjoy winning things, as they did under Warren [Gatland]. Hopefully we can press on."
Stokes out of first Pakistan Test through injury
England captain Ben Stokes is out of their first Test against Pakistan having failed to recover from a hamstring tear in time.
Stokes suffered the hamstring injury in August playing in The Hundred and has not played since, missing England's three-match series against Sri Lanka last month.
England said last week that the 33-year-old was "on track" to participate in the tour and trained away from the rest of the team in their first session.
Stokes confirmed he will miss the first Test, which begins on Monday in Multan, and Ollie Pope will continue to deputise as captain in his absence.
"I tried my hardest to get myself fit for this game but have taken the call to miss this one because I've not quite managed to get game-ready," Stokes told BBC Sport.
"There is a lot that has to go into my rehab programme. We got to a certain point, but looking at the picture of what we've got coming up and physically where I'm at, I'm not quite ready to play.
"It's always frustrating to miss out. I've got some good things to focus on, so even though I'm not playing, I've got a goal in mind."
The second Test starts on October 15, but the all-rounder admitted he was not sure whether that was a realistic target for his return.
"I've pushed myself incredibly hard and worked really hard with the medical team to get to where I'm at now. I think I'm further ahead than what we expected," he added.
"I'll be working just as hard over the next 10 days to try to get myself fit for the second Test."
In his absence, Durham seamer Brydon Carse will make his England Test debut.
He has previously played 19 ODIs and four T20s for England and will make his red-ball bow just over a month after completing a three-month ban for historical gambling offences.
England XI for first Test against Pakistan: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (captain), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Bryson Carse, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.
Stokes a doubt for England's series opener against Pakistan
Ben Stokes is a doubt for England's three-match series in Pakistan, with Zak Crawley admitting they do not know if he will be fit to feature.
Stokes tore his hamstring playing for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred competition, forcing him to miss the side's last three matches against Sri Lanka, with England winning the series 2-1.
At the end of September, the captain underwent a planned scan which showed he was “on track” to feature in the series, although he was not expected to bowl at the start.
Stokes had been hoping to make his return in the series opener on Monday, but looked uncomfortable in England's first training session, and is yet to be given the green light.
"I think he's got to do a few more tests, but he's been doing some running and stuff," Crawley said.
"He seems to be going well, recovering well from his injury, [but] we don't know just yet. We feel ready, whatever team comes out, it will be a nice balance either way.
"We've got a really deep squad with plenty of options with the ball and with the bat as well."
If Stokes is available to play, they could have some selection headaches, as they would be forced to drop one of the top six batters with his inclusion to make way for an extra bowler.
If they do not drop a batter, they could rely on Joe Root, who could also make history as he has 12,402 runs for England in men's tests and is just 71 away from surpassing Alastair Cook (12,472) as the all-time leading run-scorer.
Crawley, meanwhile, has been cleared to feature after recovering from a broken finger that kept him out against Sri Lanka.
"I feel brand new. I'm looking forward to getting out there," Crawley added.
"I couldn't pick up a bat for five weeks. I've certainly missed it, so I can't wait to get out there again with the boys.
"It was a nasty break at the time, but I've recovered well, and I don't feel it at all while I'm batting.
"I won't go at slip, just from advice from the doctor, but I feel like I could. I'm trying to rest it, but I did a few catches, and it feels fine. I'm just trying to follow the professional advice."
Carsley: No more 'copy and paste' England squads
Interim England boss Lee Carsley says he will not "copy and paste" his squads, with players to be rewarded for strong club form with Three Lions call-ups.
Carsley oversaw 2-0 Nations League victories over the Republic of Ireland and Finland last month, having taken the reins on a temporary basis after Gareth Southgate's resignation.
The former under-21 boss announced his latest 25-man squad for upcoming matches against Greece and Finland on Thursday, making four changes from last month's party.
Tottenham striker Dominic Solanke won his first call-up in seven years, with Eberechi Eze, Harry Maguire, Tino Livramento and Jarrod Bowen all left out.
Predecessor Southgate was often criticised for sticking with a trusted core of players during his eight-year spell with the Three Lions, but Carsley says nobody is guaranteed a place under him.
"In the back of my mind, I wanted to make sure it feels fresh," Carsley said.
"When you get that email or WhatsApp to say that you've been called up, it's an achievement because it shouldn't be something that is taken for granted.
"I thought it was important that it was not just a copy and paste. I want them to feel like they have earned their place in the squad."
Tottenham midfielder James Maddison and Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford – both of whom were left out of Southgate's Euro 2024 squad – were among the players to be overlooked.
Carsley said he had been left with several tough decisions to make but had prioritised those in form in order to build rhythm before the 2026 World Cup qualifiers start next year.
"The players I've left out, I could make a case for them being in, but ultimately I have to make those decisions," Carsley said.
"The reality is you want a player to be coming in in top form and fighting for a position in the team.
"Getting out of this Nations League is important for us in terms of setting up World Cup qualification. Whether I'm here or not, it's important we are in a favourable pattern and in a position to win the World Cup."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
