Wales seal the deal in Cardiff

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)

Cipriani steers England home

England bounced back from their Edinburgh ills by recording a well-taken 33-10 win over Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday, with Danny Cipriani celebrating his first Test start by contributing 18 points.

The questions that linger after this match concern the coaches.  Has Brian Ashton's skin been saved by his youthful troops?

Danny Cipriani delivered outstandingly, but Tom Croft and Michael Lipman should also get honourable mentions.  Lesley Vainikolo pulled his weight, and James Haskell made a promising return from injury.  It was a rare good day at the office for England rugby.

Has Eddie O'Sullivan's time finally come after eight years in Ireland's hot seat?  His team started well enough, but no longer are they as physically dominant and controlled as in days of old.  Of the youngsters coming through, only Luke Fitzgerald showed signs of maturing into a full international player, and the team still retained an air of staleness.  We await the union inquests on both sides of the Irish sea with interest.

The game started with both teams displaying all the ordinariness of the weeks gone by.  Fully two minutes at the start of the game consisted of poor quality kicks.

Then Ireland got a penalty and pushed it to touch.  Then they got a free-kick at the line-out and opted to tap and spin the ball wide.  Moments later Rob Kearney budged through a couple of tackles and scored.  Ronan O'Gara converted and it was 0-7.

Worse still for the home team came moments later, with Iain Balshaw penalised for holding on and Ronan O'Gara punishing the infringement with a penalty.  0-10 after seven minutes, and the axe-wielders were sharpening their blades around the English coaching seats.

But Cipriani came good, as at last England produced some good quality ball.  First a flat pass to Jamie Noon was batted on to send Nick Easter charging into the Irish 22.  Then there was a neat little grubber to the corner.  Then there was England's first points of the afternoon from the tee after Jamie Heaslip was caught going over the top.  Then there were two whopping kicks from hand to gain his team 70 metres.

Cipriani's ebullience spread to his team-mates.  Vainikolo got the ball in space and began to bounce people off his ridiculous thighs.  The back-row began to get into the game.  Balshaw looked positively competent.  More than anything else though, England's exuded utter physical domination at the breakdown, and it soon yielded results.

Paul Sackey made an elegant run to Ireland's 22, and then Lipman took it on at pace and with strength.  Lipman offloaded to Flood, who set the ball up well, and Cipriani wasted no time in looking for the men wide.  The last man was Sackey, who ghosted over the line.  Cipriani made it 10-10 with the extras.

Penalty after penalty came England's way thereafter, as Ireland were simply smashed out of the game.  Steve Borthwick and Simon Shaw were monstrous, and Cipriani's clever choices released the backs dangerously each time.  Jamie Noon could have scored on 25 minutes, and so could Toby Flood had Noon thought to look to his right instead of going for the line.  Eventually Cipriani did give England the lead after half an hour from an offside penalty.  That was pretty much it for the first half as England continued to dominate although Ireland held firm.  So far so good for England, but what would the second half yield?

Well, it yielded a turnover from Croft, a charge into the England 22 from Shane Horgan, and a dangerous position for the Irish, but in stark contrast to previous weeks, England's defence held firm -- helped in no small way by the lack of support for Irish runners.

Four minutes later, after nine phases of English possession, a penalty, which Cipriani clipped over for a 16-10 lead.  England were in complete control.

Ireland did not lie down.  Tommy Bowe and Luke Fitzgerald combined superbly to take the ball into England's 22, but once again the subsequent phases were slowed by a lack of support.  Ireland then managed to eke out a penalty, but O'Gara missed.  Andrew Trimble, then Bowe, then Horgan, then Simon Easterby all got ball in good positions in the England 22, but every time the white shirts outnumbered the green ones by two to one, the door was held shut, and no Irishman would prise it open.

Eventually, after another deft piece of footwork by Cipriani, and with Jonny Wilkinson now installed in the centre to back the youngster up as the game approached crunch-time, a superb quick hands move led to a try in the corner for Mathew Tait, who had only been on for two minutes as a blood replacement for Sackey, and left the field again while celebrating his try.  With Wilkinson on, the question hung in the air:  Who would convert?  Cipriani of course.

Then, Cipriani's pièce de resistance.  A five-metre scrum, an outside line, and a perfect flip pass to Noon for England's third score, followed up by a majestic touchline conversion.  He also landed another late penalty, completing a seven out of seven kicking record.  Is this another false dawn or have England unearthed someone to guide them into the future?  And will Brian Ashton be his mentor if they have?

Man of the Match:  Please re-read.  There is only one candidate.  Arise, Sir Danny Cipriani.

Moment of the match:  Mathew Tait's try.  The kind of move England fans have been yearning for since last year.

Villain of the match:  Nobody -- a good clean game, and it is worth noting how many times we have written this during this Six Nations.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  Sackey, Tait, Noon
Cons:  Cipriani 3
Pens:  Cipriani 4
Drops:

For Ireland:
Tries:  Kearney
Cons:  O'Gara
Pens:  O'Gara

England:  15 Iain Balshaw, 14 Paul Sackey, 13 Jamie Noon, 12 Toby Flood, 11 Lesley Vainikolo, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Richard Wigglesworth, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Michael Lipman, 6 Tom Croft, 5 Steve Borthwick, 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Phil Vickery (c), 2 Lee Mears, 1 Andrew Sheridan.
Replacements:  16 George Chuter, 17 Matt Stevens, 18 Ben Kay, 19 James Haskell, 20 Paul Hodgson, 21 Jonny Wilkinson, 22 Mathew Tait.

Ireland:  15 Geordan Murphy, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Andrew Trimble, 12 Shane Horgan, 11 Rob Kearney, 10 Ronan O'Gara (c), 9 Eoin Reddan, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 David Wallace, 6 Denis Leamy, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 John Hayes, 2 Rory Best, 1 Marcus Horan.
Replacements:  16 Bernard Jackman, 17 Tony Buckley, 18 Mick O'Driscoll, 19 Simon Easterby, 20 Peter Stringer, 21 Paddy Wallace, 22 Luke Fitzgerald.

Referee:  Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
Touch judges:  Nigel Owens (Wales), Tim Hayes (Wales)
Television match official:  Hugh Watkins (Wales)
Assessor:  Steve Hilditch (Ireland)

Italy sneak Mallett a first win

Andrea Marcato's last-gasp drop goal sealed a miserable Six Nations for Scotland on Saturday, with the Azzurri claiming a 23-20 win in Rome.

It was, as expected, a game that for long periods failed to capture the imagination, although it did finally came to life in the last quarter as both sides pressed for victory.  In the end it was Italy who struck the decisive blow, one that will bring renewed confidence to their camp and at the same time cast doubt over Scotland's future.

Whilst they played some promising rugby in spells, Scotland continued to demonstrate their inability to perform for a full game -- an inability that will continue to cost them games until it is rectified.  The question remains as to whether or not Frank Hadden is the right man to lead them forward.  With his first contract review looming large on the horizon it will not take long to find out the answer.

One of the few positives to come from the Scottish Six Nations campaign was their scrum, but even that wilted under extreme Italian pressure in Rome.  So much so that three early penalties against Euan Murray for bringing the scrum down resulted in a penalty try for the hosts and Italy had a sniff of set-piece blood.

Italy were more intent on playing an expansive game, a pity then that most of the damage they did was in the wrong areas.  Upon entering the Scotland 22 they more often than not reverted back to their forward pack, a useful weapon when deployed at the right time but a rather lethargic one otherwise.

That it took twenty minutes for Scotland to string a meaningful attack together was both a measure of their lacklustre form and of Italy's resolute defence.  But for perhaps the first time in the tournament, Scotland went through more than ten phases after a quarter of the game and drew level thanks to Allister Hogg's try.

It came as little surprise that Alasdair Strokosch and Scott MacLeod were at the heart of the move, both turning in fine displays.  It was Strokosch's step and break that caused the initial damage before MacLeod laid the try on a silver platter for Hogg.  With Paterson adding the extras it was all square.

Dan Parks and Andrea Marcato then traded penalties as the half was heading for a disappointing end, that was until Mike Blair gave Scotland the lead with a ghosting run.  The Scotland forwards paved the way for the try, sucking in the Italian defence, before Blair spotted a gapping whole that he slipped through to race away and score.

With little apart from avoiding the Wooden Spoon to play for, it was hardly surprising that the game failed to get going after the break.  Scotland looked the more likely of the two to press on but their indiscipline cost them on several occasions -- luckily for them Marcato was off target with the boot.

One man who was not off target though was Sergio Parisse, the Italian captain turning in yet another vintage display.  It was his intercept, searing run and dreamy pass that allowed Gonzalo Canale to cruise in under the posts for the score that once again levelled the score.

Finally the game began to open up -- both sides realising they had little to lose but a bit more pride -- and Italy began to prosper.  Scotland were rattled, yet more penalties went against them as their hosts turned the screw.  With ten minutes to go Marcato sent his side into the lead, albeit a slender three point advantage.  Suddenly the little things, charge downs, fifty-fifty passes, loose balls and referee decisions started to go the way of Italy and they sensed a rare victory.

Their hopes were dashed momentarily by Paterson's boot, his penalty putting Scotland back on level terms, as well as taking him to 33 consecutive successful kicks in Test rugby.  As the game seemed to be heading for a rather unsatisfactory draw Marcato stepped up and stole the day, his last-minute drop goal giving Nick Mallett his first taste of success as Azzurri coach.  The South African was in tears as he congratulated his charges.

Granted they still end up with the Wooden Spoon, but there is no doubt that Scotland will be the less happy of the two sides.  But for that win over England they have been shambolic for most of the season, while Italy are gradually getting better.

Man of the Match:  For Scotland Scott MacLeod was in fine fettle whilst he was on, Simon Webster was full of buzz and ran hard all game.  Alasdair Strokosch is going from strength to strength -- turning in another superb performance.  For the Azzurri Leonardo Ghiraldini was industrious, Gonzalo Canale a constant danger, but this award goes to Sergio Parisse.  It has been said before, and no doubt it will be again, but Parisse is a class above.  He was irresistible in attack and defence, leading by supreme example and setting up the try that allowed his side to win their first game under Nick Mallett.

Moment of the Match:  When Sergio Parisse snapped up Dan Parks's pass and set off on the run that would lead to Gonzalo Canale's try you knew the tide had turned and Italy were on their way to victory.

Villain of the Match:  Andrew Henderson was his usual awkward self, throwing the odd wild elbow but nothing to merit this gong.

The scorers:

For Italy:
Tries:  Penalty try, Canale
Cons:  Marcato 2
Pens:  Marcato 2
Drop goal:  Marcato

For Scotland:
Tries:  Hogg, Blair
Cons:  Paterson 2
Pens:  Paterson 2

Italy:  15 Andrea Marcato, 14 Kaine Robertson, 13 Gonzalo Canale, 12 Mirco Bergamasco, 11 Ezio Galon, 10 Andrea Masi, 9 Simon Picone, 8 Sergio Parisse (c), 7 Alessandro Zanni, 6 Josh Sole, 5 Marco Bortolami, 4 Carlo Antonio Del Fava, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Andrea Lo Cicero
Replacements:  16 Fabio Ongaro, 17 Salvatore Perugini, 18 Carlos Nieto, 19 Jacobus Erasmus, 20 Pietro Travagli, 21 Enrico Patrizio, 22 Alberto Sgarbi

Scotland:  15 Hugo Southwell, 14 Simon Danielli, 13 Simon Webster, 12 Graeme Morrison, 11 Chris Paterson, 10 Dan Parks, 9 Mike Blair (c), 8 Simon Taylor, 7 Allister Hogg, 6 Alasdair Strokosch, 5 Scott MacLeod, 4 Nathan Hines, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Fergus Thomson, 1 Allan Jacobsen.
Replacements: 16 Scott Lawson, 17 Alasdair Dickinson, 18 Craig Smith, 19 Jason White, 20 Kelly Brown, 21 Rory Lawson, 22 Andrew Henderson.

Referee:  Nigel Owens (Wales)
Touch judges:  Chris White (England) and Simon McDowell Ireland)
Television Match Official:  Romain Poite (France)

England pay the penalty

English rugby, after the high of Paris, sunk to a fresh low on Saturday with Scotland ending their Six Nations chances by beating the auld enemy 15-9 in Edinburgh.

In a terrible game, the Scots simply kept their heads and plugged away as England, and Jonny Wilkinson in particular, gifted Scotland far too much easy possession and only once threatened the Scottish line.  In the end it came down to discipline and mental strength, and Scotland were, by and large, far superior in that department.

Both sides went into this one proclaiming that it didn't matter how they got the win, as long as they got it.  How true that proved to be.  The weather also didn't care, showering the players with sheet after sheet and blowing the sheets for good measure.  As a result, England rarely had any third phase possession, an error or a kick inevitably punctuating phases one and two.  Scotland rarely had any territorial gain, with a blinkered runner or a kick punctuating what ball came their way.  Anyone suffering insomnia should be prescribed a good dose of this game.

Jonny Wilkinson did, in the end, surpass Neil Jenkins as the world's top points-scorer in Test rugby, but it was a day he will want to forget.  That one record-breaking kick aside, Wilkinson's boot was used to gift possession away.  Kick after aimless kick fell upon the solid Hugo Southwell like the rain that fell on Edinburgh.  It was, by quite a way, Wilkinson's worst performance in the white shirt.  Danny Cipriani anyone?  Oh, that's right, he wasn't there...

England's woes are generally deeper though, and the finger of accusation will point with unerring straightness at Briann Ashton.  Was it upset in harmony in the camp that caused England to look so uninterested?  It isn't as if they would normally be deterred by a cold wet day.  Given the manner in which they put pay to France, you would have thought England's confident pack would have eaten the Scots like so many porridge oats.  But they all trotted around the field, hitting the tackles, rucks and mauls but never really clearing them.  A tactic or game-plan was never apparent.  One step forward two weeks ago, two steps back this time.  Why?  Time for someone at the RFU to answer that one.

Anything to say about Scotland?  Not much.  They took their chances and defended excellently, not least when the English pack drove at their line for five minutes in the first half immediately after Rory Lamont had been taken from the field with a serious-looking head injury.  That was England's one real threatening moment in the whole game.  Scotland never got to the English line once, but then with a stream of needless penalties coming their way, they didn't need to.  The win certainly won't blunt the knives being quietly sharpened for Frank Hadden, but at least his players scrapped and fought for the cause.

Scotland took an early lead as a result of the third penalty in a row conceded at a Scots line-out by England's pack after nine minutes.  Then finally, after a quarter of utter torpor, England got a couple of penalties near the Scots line.  Wilkinson kicked for the corner, as is England's frequent wont, but fully four minutes of driving later all the English pack had gained was a scrum in the middle of the field.  Euan Murray slipped his binding at the scrum, and Wilkinson broke the record to equalise at 3-3.

But discipline was missing.  Andy Sheridan was fortunate not to connect with Nathan Hines's face more sharply with his elbow, and even more so being as he had been the man with hands in the ruck that had given Paterson the chance to give Scotland back the lead.

On the half-time whistle, Paterson landed another to make it 9-3, with more hands being spied by referee Kaplan in the ruck.

It got worse after the break.  Right from the off, Simon Shaw was caught coming in at the side and Paterson made it 12-3.  Seven minutes and one unidentified pair of hands in the ruck later it was 15-3, Dan Parks this time doing the damage from distance.

Within five minutes it was 15-9, Wilkinson kicking two goals of his own as Scotland eased off the pressure slightly, and conceded one penalty for offside and one for going over the top.

Then the rot truly set in.  Kick after kick boomed down the field, with no semblance of tactic from either side.  The kicks were not even quality touch-finders or hanging up-and-unders.  They were just the actions of bored people who didn't want to play.

Eventually England swung it wide on 65 minutes to Paul Sackey, who never once slipped away from anyone.  England built up a head of steam with some better picks and drives.  Then they turned it over.

With four minutes to go, Jason White put in a hit on Sackey that drove the winger some eight metres back, with a verve and passion that English players never once looked like showing.

With one minute, one minute to go, Charlie Hodgson, presumably on for Wilkinson in order to add some spice and lift to the dough, received the ball from a ruck and kicked it fully 50 metres down field.  One minute to go, his team six behind, and he did that.  What on earth goes on behind England's scenes?  Scotland got the ball, and never gave it back to England again.  England didn't deserve it.

Man of the match:  In a match ruined by so much kicking, at least Hugo Southwell caught the ball well, ran it well, and kicked constructively for his team.  His entire team gathers a group award for its defensive effort as well.

Moment of the match:  Not a single one.

Villain of the match:  None of these either.  Even the niggle was passionless.

The scorers:

For Scotland:
Pens:  Paterson 4, Parks

For England:
Pens:  Wilkinson 3

Scotland:  15 Hugo Southwell, 14 Rory Lamont, 13 Simon Webster, 12 Graeme Morrison, 11 Nikki Walker, 10 Chris Paterson, 9 Mike Blair (c), 8 Simon Taylor, 7 Allister Hogg, 6 Alasdair Strokosch, 5 Scott MacLeod, 4 Nathan Hines, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Allan Jacobsen.
Replacements:  16 Fergus Thomson, 17 Alasdair Dickinson, 18 Craig Smith, 19 Jason White, 20 Kelly Brown, 21 Rory Lawson, 22 Dan Parks.

England:  15 Iain Balshaw, 14 Paul Sackey, 13 Jamie Noon, 12 Toby Flood, 11 Lesley Vainikolo, 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 9 Richard Wigglesworth, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Michael Lipman, 6 Tom Croft, 5 Steve Borthwick, 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Phil Vickery (c), 2 Lee Mears, 1 Andrew Sheridan.
Replacements:  16 George Chuter, 17 Matt Stevens, 18 Ben Kay, 18 Luke Narraway, 20 Paul Hodgson, 21 Mathew Tait, 22 Charlie Hodgson.

Referee:  Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
Touch-judges:  Marius Jonker (South Africa), Carlo Damasco (Italy)
Television match official:  Tim Hayes (Wales)

Wales remain on course for the Grand Slam

Wales' quest for the Grand Slam remains firmly on course after they accounted for Ireland 16-12 at Croke Park on Saturday, winning the Triple Crown in the process.

The rain that was predicted never materialised and, despite a howling wind, both sides showed a willingness to play positive rugby.  In the end it was Wales' patience and maturity that shone through, leaving Ireland to ponder what might have been.

For it was the hosts who dominated the early running, although their inability to convert pressure into points came back to haunt them.  Ronan O'Gara did manage two penalties in the opening twenty minutes but in all honesty Ireland should have had more to show for their efforts.

Aware of how Wales like to play, Eddie O'Sullivan sent his troops out with a specific game-plan and they executed it with aplomb for most of the first half, although they were left hanging on in the dying stages.  Wales eased their way into the game and the longer they kept the ball the better they became, stretching their hosts across the width of the field and isolating weak links in the defensive line.

A pity then that their best raid on the Irish line resulted in a yellow card for the petulant Mike Phillips.  Wales had a penalty under Ireland's post only to see it reversed for Phillips' needless knee in the back of Marcus Horan.

In the absence of Phillips Wales showed a new-found maturity that has been missing over the past few years, controlling play in the forwards to see out the ten-minute disadvantage.  In fact the visitors emerged at the other end of the sin-binning three points to the good, Stephen Jones' second penalty squaring things up.

Wales had squandered several good attacking positions due to poor timing, the half-back axis of Phillips and Jones appearing a little rusty.  On three separate occasions the two lost their timing, wasting overlaps each time with poor passes.  Nevertheless Wales kept on plugging away and eventually they breached the Irish line.

It was hardly surprising that it was Shane Williams, his fortieth try for Wales that takes him joint top of the all-time try scoring list for Wales.  That he has done it in forty-three fewer games than Gareth Thomas is a testament to his undoubted class.  The try itself was born out of an Irish error but the pressure had been mounting.

Phillips, just back on, directed his forwards well before sending it wide via Stephen Jones leaving Williams against Andrew Trimble.  The Osprey showed great strength with a powerful hand off before turning on the pace to scuttle in at the corner.  Jones added a dreamy conversion and suddenly their was a real sense of belief among the Welsh faithful.

Having looked so comfortable in the first half Ireland could not get going in the second half, largely due to Wales' patience on the ball -- time and again going through at least six phases.  And, with the game firmly in their control, Wales then gifted their hosts a path back into the game.

An uncharacteristic trip from Martyn Williams saw the carrot-topped flank heading for the sin-bin and O'Gara sending over a simple penalty.  It was just the tonic Ireland needed as they suddenly discovered their running game, causing Wales major problems.  However with each game that goes by the new-look Welsh defence looks more assured and Ireland could not quite unlock it.

Welsh indiscipline continued and O'Gara trimmed the lead to just one point with ten minutes remaining.  Ireland sniffed a win, against the odds with the way the game had gone, but they were unable to produce the rugby required to achieve it.  In fact when the pressure was on they seemed to implode and gift Wales a chance to see the game out.

Bernard Jackman lost his cool -- shoulder charging a prone Ryan Jones well away from the ball -- and James Hook kept his composure to slot the three points.  Then we saw the Welsh maturity again, playing keep-ball for the dying stages of the game until the siren sounded and Phillips punted the ball into the stands.

The Triple Crown is secured and now Wales are one game away from the Grand Slam -- the prospect of France at home in the final game of the tournament is a mouthwatering one.  Wales, on the back of this win, will be brimming full of confidence but France will bring a different test with them -- one Wales need to provide the answers to in order to earn the Grand Slam.

Man of the Match:  For Ireland Eoin Reddan continues to grow with his new-found responsibility at scrum-half and Paul O'Connell added a calmness to the Irish set-piece.  For Wales Alun Wyn Jones was a rock on his return to the side, Ryan Jones turned in a fine performance but it was Gavin Henson who stole the show.  Under Gatland he has been moved away from the spotlight and encouraged to focus on his rugby.  And that is exactly what he has done, and to some effect.  As mature a player in the Welsh team as there is he produced a near-flawless display that allowed Wales to head home with their eyes firmly on a Grand Slam.

Moment of the Match:  In a game that was largely uneventful there were few moments that caught the eye.  However Mike Phillips' tackle on Shane Horgan in the first half saved a certain try and gave Wales the belief that they could indeed return from Ireland with the win.  A smaller man may have been brushed aside but Phillips stood up to Horgan and rescued his side.

Villain of the Match:  The game was a physical one but that was not an excuse for two mindless acts.  Mike Phillips had no need, or right, to drop his knee into Marcus Horan's back, and Bernard Jackman was stupid to think he could take out Ryan Jones with his shoulder for no apparent reason.  Otherwise a good clean game of rugby.

The Scorers:

For Ireland:
Pens:  O'Gara 4

For Wales:
Try:  S.Williams
Con:  S.Jones
Pens:  S.Jones 2

Yellow Cards:  Phillips (38th -- foul play), M.Williams (61st -- deliberate trip).

The Teams:

Ireland:  15 Rob Kearney, 14 Shane Horgan, 13 Brian O'Driscoll (c), 12 Andrew Trimble, 11 Tommy Bowe, 10 Ronan O'Gara, 9 Eoin Reddan, 8 James Heaslip, 7 David Wallace, 6 Denis Leamy, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 John Hayes, 2 Rory Best, 1 Marcus Horan.
Replacements:  16 Bernard Jackman, 17 Tony Buckley, 18 Mick O'Driscoll, 19 Simon Easterby, 20 Peter Stringer, 21 Paddy Wallace, 22 Luke Fitzgerald.

Wales:  15 Lee Byrne, 14 Mark Jones, 13 Tom Shanklin, 12 Gavin Henson, 11 Shane Williams, 10 Stephen Jones, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Ryan Jones (c), 7 Martyn Williams, 6 Jonathan Thomas, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Ian Gough, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Matthew Rees, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements:  16 Gareth Williams, 17 Duncan Jones, 18 Ian Evans, 19 Gareth Delve, 20 Dwayne Peel, 21 James Hook, 22 Sonny Parker.

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Touch judges:  Christophe Berdos (France), Peter Allan (Scotland)
Television match official:  David Changleng (Scotland)
Assessor:  Steve Hilditch (Ireland)