They did it! Cheered on by 70,000 delirious fans, Wales clinched their tenth Grand Slam following an epic 29-12 victory over France at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday -- a richly deserved reward for hard graft and deep introspection.
Who would have thought this could possibly happen following Wales's inglorious exit from the World Cup at the hands of Fiji? Not even the most passionate Welshman would have entertained the idea with anything other than a snort of derision.
But here we are -- just six short months later! To the dates 1908, 1909, 1911, 1950, 1952, 1971, 1976, 1978 and 2005 we can add another: 2008. It hardly seems real.
Inevitably it was Shane Williams who provided the decisive moment with the try that put Wales on course for the clean sweep.
The wing's second-half score broke the Welsh international record of 40 tries held by Gareth Thomas and sent Cardiff into a frenzy of excitement as the misery of the last two years were finally forgotten.
The victory over France -- and the championship triumph as a whole -- was built on an extraordinary, heroic defensive display.
Wales kept their tryline intact once again and only conceded twice during the tournament, breaking the previous record set by England's World Cup winners in 2002 and 2003.
After Williams pounced on a 60th-minute mistake from Yannick Jauzion to score under the posts, Wales pulled clear to record their biggest victory over France in Cardiff since 1950.
Stephen Jones came off the bench to kick 10 points, on top of nine from James Hook, while Martyn Williams rounded off the win, and a magnificent individual performance, with a late try.
If Graham Henry was known as the Great Redeemer, then Welsh rugby fans will be convinced tonight that Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards really are capable of turning water into wine -- and they'd better hope the coaches can: booze will be short supply come the earlier hours of tomorrow.
The Millennium Stadium roof was closed to keep out the filthy weather and although Marc Lièvremont picked his strongest team of the championship so far, not even the French could rain on Wales' Grand Slam parade.
The visitors seemed spooked by the occassion, and for that the Welsh team owes an immense debt of gratitude to a crowd that drowned out Marius Jonker's whistle on several occassion.
Outside the stadium, an estimated 250,000 fans defied the conditions to pack the pubs and bars in scenes not witnessed since Wales's triumphant campaign under Mike Ruddock four seasons ago.
While the touts did a brisk trade, Grand Slam fever had even reached the West Indies from where the Prince of Wales sent a message of support.
He congratulated Ryan Jones's men on winning the Triple Crown and said: "I hope your hard work and discipline will come to fruition when you face France in Saturday's Grand Slam decider."
And it was, in spades. Wales were forced to defend for their lives and never took a backward step in an attritional encounter.
Wales had to make a remarkable 77 first-half tackles -- more than twice as many as France -- and yet never tired. By the end, Wales were unstoppable.
But for the first hour Wales were given the toughest test of the championship.
Ian Gough led the team out on the occasion of his 50th cap, alongside the two daughters of late Wales international Ray Gravell.
Perhaps the frenzied atmosphere got to Wales in the opening exchanges. Huw Bennett missed his jumper at the first line-out, they conceded an early penalty for offside and Lee Byrne decided unadvisedly to attempt a drop-goal from inside his own half.
Wales soon settled, with Martyn Williams pouncing on a loose ball and Gavin Henson a massive influence in the centre.
Hook, preferred to Stephen Jones for his creative edge, sparked Wales's first attack with a delightful flick outside to Shanklin.
Mark Jones, in two minds whether to chip or pass inside to Byrne, lost his footing on the greasy surface but the Welsh adventure was rewarded as Hook slotted his first shot at goal after seven minutes.
David Skrela's extraordinary restart went backwards and Wales needed no second invitation to keep the pressure on, with Henson again a midfield target and his neat offload sent Shanklin charging into the French 22.
Hook shanked his second shot at goal but made amends almost immediately, just reward for Wales' early dominance.
Untidy breakdown work gifted Jean-Baptiste Elissalde a simple shot at goal, which he accepted, but Hook slotted his third penalty to open Wales a 9-3 lead after the first quarter.
France began to take control and never stopped asking questions as Wales were forced into some lung-bursting defence.
France were at their most dangerous when they managed to break the game up.
After Hook's attempted clearance was charged down, Julien Malzieu broke the first line but was quickly swallowed up by a swarm of scrambling Welsh defenders.
Another break from Malzieu carried France to the edge of the Welsh 22 but Martyn Williams, who Gatland persuaded to come out of retirement before the tournament, snaffled the turnover.
France hammered away at the Welsh defensive line and Elissalde slotted a second penalty after Henson was sin-binned for a high tackle on flanker Fulgence Ouedraogo.
By the time Henson returned France had drawn level, with a third penalty from Elissalde, after Hook had pulled a second attempt wide of the posts.
With half an hour remaining Gatland introduced the more steady, controlling hand of Stephen Jones at fly-half -- but it predictably it was Shane Williams who conjured up the match-winning moment.
Jauzion spilled the ball under pressure from Shanklin and Williams pounced, hacking the ball forward twice before diving on it under the posts.
Stephen Jones converted and then landed a penalty to move Wales two scores clear.
Dimitri Yachvili caused a few nervous moments by pulling a penalty back for France but Jones slotted a second shot and the party began.
And to top it all off, after Mark Jones had made a searing 80-metre break, Martyn Williams scored under the posts to send the Millennium Stadium into raptures.
Man of the match: Wales were magnificent to a man, as were their fans who played a full part in putting the wind up the French. Wales's coaching team also deserves special mention for the tournament as a whole -- winning five games on the trot and leaking just two tries (one an interception, as Shaun Edwards has repeatedly pointed out!) is a magnificent feat. Indeed, it would be so hard to pick out an individual ... at least it would be if Wales were not blessed with a man of Martyn Williams's standing. He was -- is -- simply brilliant, there is nothing he can't do. Make Wales a republic and make him president!
Moment of the match: Recreations of the two tries will echo around Welsh pubs for decades to come, and David Skrela's shanked restart exemplified France's plight. Perhaps it would have all been different had this French been allowed to play together at some point before this game! But we'll opt for a moment that summed up the true dimensions of Wales's collective heart. Just 19-6 behind, France sensed a chink of light when they were awarded a scrum in the shadow of the home side's sticks. Somehow, Wales won the scrum against the head with an incredible shove, and French lights went out for good.
Villian of the match: Gavin Henson was sin-binned for a high tackle, but there didn't seem to be any malice in his action -- and why ruin a beautiful day of rugby? No award.
The scorers:
For Wales:
Tries: S Williams, M Williams
Cons: Jones 2
Pens: Hook 3, S Jones 2
Drops:
For France:
Pens: Elissalde 4
Yellow card(s): Henson (Wales) -- high tackle, 40
Wales: 15 Lee Byrne, 14 Mark Jones, 13 Tom Shanklin, 12 Gavin Henson, 11 Shane Williams, 10 James Hook, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Ryan Jones (c), 7 Martyn Williams, 6 Jonathan Thomas, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Ian Gough, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Huw Bennett, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements: 16 Matthew Rees, 17 Duncan Jones, 18 Ian Evans, 19 Gareth Delve, 20 Dwayne Peel, 21 Stephen Jones, 22 Sonny Parker.
France: 15 Anthony Floch, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Yannick Jauzion, 12 Damien Traille, 11 Julien Malzieu, 10 David Skrela, 9 Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, 8 Julien Bonnaire, 7 Fulgence Ouedraogo, 6 Thierry Dusautoir, 5 Jérôme Thion, 4 Lionel Nallet (c), 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 1 Fabien Barcella.
Replacements: 16 William Servat, 17 Jean-Baptiste Poux, 18 Arnaud Méla, 19 Elvis Vermeulen, 20 Dimitri Yachvili, 21 François Trinh-Duc, 22 Cédric Heymans.
Referee: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Touch judges: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa), Federico Cuesta (Argentina)
Television match official: Carlo Damasco (Italy)
Assessor: Paul Bridgman (England)
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