RYAN Jones helped Wales to a dramatic victory over Ireland in Dublin, then declared: "What an advert for Six Nations rugby."

Leigh Halfpenny's penalty in the final seconds swung the verdict the way of Warren Gatland's side in a game that saw the lead change hands five times.

There were five tries, a number of them out of the top drawer, and no shortage of controversy as referee Wayne Barnes made the decision to not only award the late penalty against Ireland, but also yellow card Stephen Ferris for what he viewed as a tip tackle.

It all ended with Halfpenny holding his nerve for Wales to claim a 23-21 victory.

"What a wonderful advert for Six Nations rugby, with two teams going at it hammer and tongs and the game won in the last 20 seconds," said Jones.

"The drama was special and it was a great afternoon.

"And it was played in a great arena. We hadn't been to the Aviva Stadium before and didn't train here the day beforehand, like we usually do.

"To walk out into an atmosphere like that was wonderful, with all the green flags in the lower tier. The ground seemed to keep the noise in.

"That's what fantastic sporting occasions are all about.

"It meant so much to be on the right end of a result like that. We seem to have been on the wrong end a few times."

It is still early days, but with three of their remaining four games to be played in Cardiff, Wales have given themselves the opportunity to push for a Grand Slam.

They face Scotland on Sunday, before a trip to Twickenham to take on England, with Italy to be played prior to a final weekend shootout with France.

"We have to keep winning," said Jones. You can talk about confidence and momentum, but this competition is about one game at a time. They are wonderful encounters and there's a lot of history around all these Test matches. That's what makes the Six Nations different from any other competition.

"The competition is still wide open. But we've put ourselves in a good position. We are in still control of our own future, which is where you want to be going into the next few fixtures."

Wales's win was a team effort, but several individuals stood out for them in Dublin, not least Jones himself, Scarlets pair Jon Davies and George North and Mike Phillips, while Justin Tipuric made his mark after coming on as a replacement for dead-leg casualty Sam Warburton.

"I thought George was great," said Jones.

"He did everything asked of him and a bit more.

"At this level it's nice to have something up your sleeve like George and he came up with a wonderful bit of skill to put Foxy (Jon Davies) in for his second try.

"On the day, Foxy and George were wonderful individuals, while Mike Phillips was superb, Gilly (Rhys Gill) was fantastic, popping up all over the place, and Justin Tipuric also did well.

"Tips is a tremendous player and one for the future.

"A lot was made of injuries but everyone who stepped up to the mark today performed.

"It's a tough arena to play in and there's a lot of history. To come to a place like this, against a team packed with experience, and to perform like that was wonderful. The boys deserve every credit."

There could be an issue for Wales at second row this weekend if Bradley Davies is cited after his tip tackle on Donnacha Ryan, with Luke Charteris and Alun Wyn Jones injured. Options include Ryan Jones and Lou Reed, while Dan Lydiate could return to contention in the back row.

Tipuric's display suggested that even if Warburton is ruled out Wales have a quality option at openside.

Wing Alex Cuthbert left the field after a bang on the head.