Wayne Pivac says Wales have used the "pain" of their results in 2020 to inspire them on to being on the brink of a Six Nations Grand Slam.
Wales thrashed Italy 48-7 on Saturday to make it four wins from four in this Six Nations campaign, and they face France next week looking to complete a clean sweep.
It represents a huge turnaround in fortunes for Wales boss Pivac, who struggled in his first year with the team after replacing Warren Gatland.
"It's chalk and cheese," Pivac told reporters when asked to compare Wales' form from last year with their recent upturn.
"We know the pain we went through in the autumn with the results. But we're seeing the players coming through from the autumn now and doing well.
"We’re pleased to be four from four and able to talk about the opportunity of a Grand Slam."
Along with Wales, France have been the standout performers so far in the tournament, and Pivac is anticipating a stern test, albeit one which may be helped by a lack of fans in Paris.
"We'll review the performance and we know we'll be in for a massive game," he added.
"We've been on the receiving end of the result both times against France. No fans neutralises it a bit.
"We've been to Paris in the autumn so that's a good thing. If you asked the side if we'd take four from four and travelling to France for the Grand Slam, I think you'd know the answer."
Wales' victory was their 16th successive win against Italy, which marks their longest such run against any opponent in Test rugby.
Pivac's side had a bonus point wrapped up by half-time, though captain Alun Wyn Jones saw room for improvement.
"We were pretty clinical, particularly in the first half. We're a tad frustrated with the second half but it's a case of job done and plenty to work on," he told SC4.
"The excitement I feel every time I pull on this red jersey is insurmountable, so I'm looking forward to getting back to it on Monday and preparing for next weekend."
George laments 'unforgivable' England showing after last-gasp Australia defeat
England captain Jamie George labelled his side's performance as "unforgivable" after their 42-37 defeat to Australia on Saturday.
The Red Rose came flying out of the blocks with two early tries from Chandler Cunningham-South before Australia hit back through Tom Wright and Harry Wilson at Twickenham.
Noah Lolesio's penalty ensured the Wallabies snatched a 20-18 lead at the break, only for England replacement Ollie Sleightholme to drag his side ahead with a brilliant double.
Andrew Kellaway and Mario Itoje exchanged late scores for either side before Max Jorgensen’s last-gasp try secured victory for Australia.
George lamented his side's defensive showing after ending on the wrong side of a high-scoring thriller.
"I think the blueprint of how we wanted to play was in the first 20 minutes," George told TNT Sport. "We put Australia under a lot of pressure. Sometimes in a Test match like that you think the job is done.
"We took our foot off the gas. Credit to Australia they were very good but we cannot keep doing that, it will be a tough one to watch back.
"It is a fine balance between closing up shop and trying to see out the win rather than attacking. We talk about being brave and courageous and that [Itoje] try was exactly that. We will look at being better.
"The system and the principle all work. We know it works, but we didn't quite get what we wanted out if it.
"Leaking 42 points at home is unforgivable. They got front-foot ball and then have some pretty good runners outside."
Saturday marked the first time England have lost four Test matches in a row since 2018, when they suffered five straight defeats under Eddie Jones.
England head coach Steve Borthwick echoed George's sentiment after the Autumn Nations Series defeat.
"Gutting. We made such a number of errors, and it gave opportunities to the opposition to run in tries and they did," he told TNT Sport.
"In terms of our mindset, you are seeing a team wanting to move the ball and we want that, but we have to understand the consequences of it, and we saw that here.
"We didn't give our defence the chance to show what it can do, there was so much turnover and loose ball that the system couldn't set itself.
"There'll be no shortage of motivation for next week for South Africa."
Barella returns to Italy Nations League squad, Calafiori ruled out
Luciano Spalletti has made several changes to his Italy squad for their upcoming Nations League fixtures against Belgium and France.
Italy are currently top of Group A2 by a point after four games, and know a win against Belgium next week will secure their place in the quarter-finals of the competition.
Spalletti was able to name Inter's Nicolo Barella back to his ranks after the midfielder missed the Azzurri's October encounters after undergoing nose surgery.
Only Alessandro Bastoni, Matteo Darmian (both 38) and Marcus Thuram (57) have won more successful duels than Barella (35) for Inter in Serie A this season.
However, the Italians will be without defensive duo Riccardo Calafiori and Matteo Gabbia, with the former picking up a knee issue in Arsenal's Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk.
Spalletti also did not include Roma captain Lorenzo Pellegrini, who was sent off in the 2-2 draw with Belgium last month, or Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli.
Fiorentina's Pietro Comuzzo, Juventus' Nicolo Savona and Lazio's Nicolo Rovella all come into the squad, receiving their first senior call-ups.
Italy squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma, (Paris Saint-Germain), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham), Alex Meret (Napoli); Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Alessandro Buongiorno (Napoli), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Pietro Comuzzo (Fiorentina), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Federico Gatti (Juventus), Caleb Okoli (Leicester City), Nicolo Savona (Juventus), Destiny Udogie (Tottenham); Nicolo Barella (Inter), Davide Frattesi (Roma), Samuele Ricci (Torino), Nicolo Rovella (Lazio), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle); Moise Kean (Fiorentina), Daniel Maldini (Monza), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Atalanta).
Ireland frustrated by lack of discipline as home winning run ended
Ireland captain Caelan Doris believes they were "not good enough" as they suffered a first home defeat in more than three years against New Zealand.
The All Blacks ran out 23-13 winners in Dublin thanks to Damian McKenzie, while Ireland's discipline cost them late on after they had made a bright start to the second half.
McKenzie scored three of his six penalties before the break to give New Zealand a 9-6 lead, but the visitors started the second half a man light after Jordie Barrett's yellow card for a high tackle.
Josh van der Flier scored a try for the hosts, but McKenzie soon added another three penalties before Will Jordan's try secured New Zealand a first win on Irish soil since 2016.
And Doris pointed to Ireland's discipline as the turning point late on in the game.
"It was intense out there. We were quite reactive out there and our discipline wasn't where it needed to be," he told TNT Sports.
"We got momentum at the start of the second half, but they came back. They were quality, we weren't good enough.
"Discipline was a big part. We didn't fire enough shots and part of that was our defence letting them hold onto the ball. I'm not sure exactly what the answers are, but we weren't good enough tonight."
Ireland were seeking a 20th home win in a row, but New Zealand ensured their impressive run came to a halt on Friday.
It is now five wins on the bounce for New Zealand in all competitions, having followed up their dramatic win over England last weekend.
Head coach Scott Robertson was impressed with what he saw from the All Blacks, both individually and as a team.
"It was a hell of a match, we defended extremely well, and it's really pleasing with all the work we have been doing," he said to TNT Sports.
"Discipline and self-control is an area you have to own it, and I think a lot of individuals did."
On Damian McKenzie, he added: "He is so mercurial, and sometimes he doesn't get it right, but when he does! He got enough right tonight, and I'm really pleased with how he controlled the game and kept calm."
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