Wales sweep to Grand Slam with win over France

Wales swept to their third Six Nations Grand Slam in eight seasons on Saturday and their 11th overall in the European championship with a 16-9 win over France in Cardiff. 

Flanker Dan Lydiate, the outstanding Welsh player of the tournament, was named man-of-the-match for a series of thunderous tackles, one of which forced the turnover which led to the only try of the match. 

Lydiate jolted the ball out of France captain Thierry Dusautoir's hands midway through the first half. Wales quickly recycled and right wing Alex Cuthbert brought the capacity 72,000 crowd at the Millennium Stadium to their feet by cutting inside to score. 

England's revival under caretaker coach Stuart Lancaster after their embarrassments on and off the field at the World Cup in New Zealand last year continued with an emphatic 30-9 win over Ireland at Twickenham to secure second place.
 
Lancaster's chances of succeeding Martin Johnson as the permanent England coach were further boosted by another vibrant display by his young side who completely dominated the second half at a rain-drenched Twickenham. 

At the other end of the table, Scotland lost the battle to avoid the wooden spoon when Italy prevailed 13-6 in Rome. 
 
Cardiff was awash with Welsh fans anticipating another triumph for a young team fulfilling the promise they showed at the World Cup. 

France had won seven of their last eight games against the Welsh, including a one-point victory in the World Cup semi-final after captain Sam Warburton was sent off. 
Warburton left the field with a shoulder injury at halftime on Saturday but his replacement, former skipper Ryan Jones, underlined the depth of talent available for coach Warren Gatland with a storming performance. 

"We knew we were pretty fit and there's no real fear factor," Gatland said. "These guys have been a real credit to themselves, Wales and Welsh rugby." 

Defending champions England overwhelmed a tough and experienced Ireland forward pack in the scrums, further evidence of the improvements Lancaster and his coaching team have made in their brief time together. 

After leading by three points at halftime, the England eight won a penalty try after pouring on the pressure near the Irish line and replacement scrumhalf Ben Youngs raced through a gap to score from a quick tap and run after yet another scrum penalty,  

"We were outstanding in every department," Lancaster said. "At the outset there was a long-term plan, it was around giving some young players some experience but they showed great belief." 

Lancaster would not be drawn into speculating on his chances of securing the fulltime England job. "That's for others to decide," he said. 

The final weekend of the championship began in bright spring sunshine at the Stadio Olimpico with Italy and Scotland fighting to avoid bottom place in the championship. 

Italy deservedly won a turgid match 13-6 with wing Giovanbattista Vendetti scoring the only try of the game in the second half. It was the first victory for their French coach Jacques Brunel who took over after the World Cup. 

Scotland did their cause no favours by losing Nick De Luca and Jim Hamilton to the sin bin and coach Andy Robinson's future does not look bright although he is contracted until 2015.

And coach Warren Gatland vowed that the goal now would be to start turning over the world's top-ranked countries, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.

"There was a relief at the fact that we hung on and won the game," said Gatland, speaking after adding the victory to previous successes over Ireland (23-21), Scotland (27-13), England (19-12) and Italy (24-3).

"Our big aim is to start being consistent and beating the southern hemisphere teams and I think we've got a young enough side that over the next few years we can hopefully do that."

Gatland's team have long threatened to spark a real rebirth of Welsh rugby, having pushed the touring SANZAR sides close on several occasions - and even notching up a couple of rare wins - in the November internationals.

But after reaching the World Cup semi-final, when Wales lost 9-8 to France, Gatland's troops finally started to deliver on a pragmatic gameplan inspired by some young, giant backs and marauding jackals at the breakdown.

Captained by 23-year-old flanker Sam Warburton, the Welsh team has an experienced thread running through its front and second rows, and in 29-year-old scrum-half Mike Phillips.

But the backrow is fired by Toby Faletau, 21, and Dan Lydiate, 24. Rhys Priestland masterminds things from fly-half with a maturity belying his 25 years, and wingers Alex Cuthbert and George North, the latter still a teenager, flank yet more young players in centres Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies, and full-back Leigh Halfpenny.

"In this campaign we've shown some great character, fantastic maturity, we've been down in games, we've learnt how to win and win ugly on a couple of occasions," said Gatland, now the front runner to take the British and Irish Lions to Australia next year.

"We've accepted some of the tags of being favourites, and that hasn't always sat well on our shoulders.

"For a young side, they've coped incredibly well and I'd like to think it will be good for us as a team over the next two or three years.

"Good sides defend desperately and they show character without the ball, and that's what this team is doing."

Attack coach Rob Howley, a former Wales captain and scrum-half, missed out on any Grand Slam glory as a player but was quick to dismiss any ideas that this Welsh team had achieved too much too early.

"Everything they've achieved, they've deserved," Howley said. "Sometimes all that hard work is not measurable.

"The measurable thing they've got is that they've won the Triple Crown and the Grand Slam and this side'll even get better over the next four years." 
 

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