'BRING on the world champions!' That was the message from Wales coach Warren Gatland 24 hours after watching his side clinch a historic Grand Slam at the Millennium Stadium.
Barely five months ago Welsh rugby was in a state of disarray following a miserable World Cup campaign, which ended with a defeat to Fiji in their final group match and saw Wales drop to tenth in the world rankings. But victory over France consigned
all that to history as Wales were crowned kings of Europe for a tenth time, 100 years after their first clean sweep.
The next stop is South Africa this summer and Gatland is confident Wales can match the Springboks following Saturday's incredible scenes in Cardiff.
"It is the next step for us, testing ourselves against the world champions," said Gatland. "We will not rest on our laurels. It has been a great start for us as coaches but we need to keep improving. If we sit back we will get caught.
"To win over there at altitude is tough. The guys have delivered on the principles we have had in putting our bodies on the line, putting pride back in the jersey and it is about carrying that forward. We go to South Africa with no trepidation, saying 'Let's have a crack'."
Wales' path from zeroes to heroes began in the hours immediately after that defeat to Fiji in Nantes, when the Welsh Rugby Union sacked Gareth Jenkins and set their sights on hiring Gatland.
Now, the New Zealander is being feted as a miracle worker. Certainly his impact, along with those of his assistant coaches Shaun Edwards and Rob Howley, was immediate.
Wales launched their campaign with a first victory at Twickenham in 20 years, sealed the Triple Crown in Dublin and the Grand Slam against France with a huge performance of courage and guts. Shane Williams again provided the decisive moment with his sixth try of an incredible tournament – equalling Will Greenwood's record – to push Wales clear after an attritional first 60 minutes.
Stephen Jones came off the bench to kick ten points, on top of nine from James Hook, and Martyn Williams capped a magnificent individual performance with a late try. The victory over France – and the championship triumph as a whole – was built on an extraordinary, heroic defensive display. Wales made 128 tackles on Saturday as France enjoyed 70 per cent of the possession, but once again they kept their tryline intact.
Marshalled by defensive captains Martyn Williams and Gavin Henson, Wales only conceded twice during the tournament, breaking the previous record of four set by England's World Cup winners in 2002 and 2003.
That was partly down to the blitz system employed by Gatland and Edwards but also a change in attitude that has been instilled in the squad.
Although Gatland never dreamed of winning a Grand Slam at his first attempt he is not surprised by the success they have enjoyed this season. "Being selfish for a moment, one of the reasons I took the job was that Wales were tenth in the world and had a pretty average World Cup. There isn't too far to go below tenth in the world," he said.
"I saw the potential and the ability within the squad. Their work ethic and desire to succeed is as important as my influence." While Edwards declared Lent had been suspended so he could enjoy some celebratory champagne, Gatland is aware of the pitfalls Wales suffered following the 2005 Grand Slam. In the two years between titles, Wales won just two Six Nations games. "You are never going to stay at that peak," he said. "Our challenge as coaches and players is to build consistency on this season."
Meanwhile, Julien Malzieu saw France's two-year hold on the title slip, but he insists Les Bleus should be satisfied with their progress this year. France needed to win by 20 points to retain their crown, but the Welsh defence ensured that was never on the cards. But given the vast amount of re-jigging new France head coach Marc Lievremont has done and the number of new players he has brought in, Malzieu does not believe his side should be down-hearted. "Third out of six – that isn't too bad for a team that is just starting to be built," he said.
Scorers: Wales: Tries: S Williams, M Williams. Cons: S Jones 2. Pens: Hook 3, S Jones 2. France: Pens: Elissalde 3, Yachvili.
Wales: L Byrne; M Jones, T Shanklin, G Henson, S Williams; J Hook, M Phillips; G Jenkins, H Bennett, Adam Jones, I Gough, Alun-Wyn Jones, J Thomas, M Williams, R Jones. Replacements: S Jones for Hook 56mins, M Rees for Bennett 56, D Jones for Adam Jones 71, I Evans for Gough 71.
France: A Floch; V Clerc, Y Jauzion, D Traille, J Malzieu; D Skrela, J-B Elissalde; F Barcella, D Szarzewski, N Mas, L Nallet, J Thion, T Dusautoir, F Ouedraogo, J Bonnaire. Replacements: W Servat for Szarzewski 44mins, J-B Poux for Mas 62, E Vermeulen for Ouedraogo 62, F Trinh-Duc for Skrela 63, C Heymans for Floch 67, D Yachvili for Elissalde 67, A Mela for Thion 75.
Attendance: 75,000
Referee: M Jonker (South Africa).
The full article contains 895 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
