Grand Slam beckons for rejuvenated Wales
PA Sport
March 9, 2008

Five months after Wales' World Cup campaign was reduced to smouldering wreckage on a field in Brittany, the nation can dare to dream again.

Ryan Jones lifted the Triple Crown trophy at Croke Park yesterday and the victory over Ireland has left Wales on the brink of the RBS 6 Nations title and with a shot at the Grand Slam.

Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards have overseen a remarkable transformation. From the dejection of losing to Fiji in Nantes, the Welsh dragon is breathing fire again.

Gatland's squad is largely the same as that selected for the World Cup by Gareth Jenkins - minus the dominant figure of Gareth Thomas - and yet winger Shane Williams admits it feels like a whole new team.

''That is the thing with Wales - we go from one extreme to the other,'' said Williams, who scored the only try at Croke Park yesterday to equal Thomas' national record.

''It has a lot to do with the attitude in training and the new coaches. It is a combined effort.

''The experience of the likes of Warren, Shaun and Rob Howley helps and there seems to be an urgency on the training field.

''The attitude at the moment is tremendous. We train with such great intensity, we work so hard and the effort we are putting in has been reflected on the field.

''You have to play at that intensity to beat the top teams.

''This game was probably the most intense yet and we won it by four points. The effort out there was tremendous.''

Gatland took over in December and his first act was to convince Edwards, the Wasps head coach, to come on board.

He made no title promises and talk of a Grand Slam was certainly not on the agenda.

''Warren assured me the players had the skill level and what we needed to do was to give them the direction, the belief and the work ethic,'' said Edwards.

''The attitude of the players has been superb. They have worked their socks off. We have some special players in offence and we have tightened up our defence.''

It is a mark of Edwards' influence that Wales have only conceded two tries in four matches this tournament.

Williams is one of those ''special'' players and he scored the decisive try at Croke Park, handing off Andrew Trimble to dive over in the corner.

It was Williams' 11th try in his last eight Tests and the 40th of his Test career, drawing him level with Gareth Thomas' Welsh record.

Edwards, the former Great Britain rugby league captain, described Williams afterwards as one of the most exciting players he had ever seen in either code.

''It is a great honour for someone of Shaun's calibre to say that,'' Williams said modestly.

''He has seen and played with some great players in his time - and he was a great player himself.

''I was more excited about scoring the try than thinking about the record. It was a tight game. Ireland had come close to scoring but hadn't. We had come close to scoring but hadn't. It was relief more than anything to score the try.

''The record is something I will reflect on after the Six Nations. But it is not a personal game and next week is more important than me scoring my 41st try.''

Wales will need to deal with frenzied public excitement in the build-up to Saturday's Grand Slam showdown.

But Williams, who experienced it all in 2005, is convinced Wales can not only handle the expectation but deliver on it and seal a second Grand Slam in four years.

''This week we will enjoy the experience, enjoy the electricity and excitement it brings - but you can't get carried away,'' he said.

''We have one game left, a tough, massive game. If we start looking ahead and thinking of this Grand Slam we could come unstuck.

''But if we have an effort like we did against Ireland then I have no doubt we can beat France.''

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