The Welsh dream that dare not speak its name

Hush for a moment. Cock your head towards Wales and you'll hear the familiar sounds of a nation holding its breath. From now until about seven o'clock on Saturday evening when the game against France ends, everyone in this rugby-mad country west of the Severn is thinking of one thing and not daring to talk about it.

Does that sound familiar? It should. It is almost exactly what I wrote last week - about the game against Ireland. Now that Wales have cleared that hurdle and won the Triple Crown all I need to do is change the opponents from Ireland to France. A nation exults after the victory at Croke Park but it is still holding its breath. What is the world record for holding your breath? One week, ten days, 12 days?      

And would you believe it? No sooner do Wales get to the cusp of a Grand Slam than Cardiff reach the semi-final of the FA Cup for the first time for nearly 100 years. "If all fails, try Wales," AA Gill wrote a few years ago. I don't suppose he'll mind but, in Wales, AA Gill is considered to be a smart arse.

I am astonished at Wales's improvement in the past three months. I don't think that Warren Gatland could have done it on his own. I don't think Shaun Edwards or Robert Howley could have done it on their own. But together the three of them are human manifestation of that saying that the sum realises more than the total of the parts. They have exceptional knowledge, a considerable work ethic, huge knowledge of skills. Most of all they have a chemistry that makes the three of them work together better than most triumvirates. Most? Better than many. Many? Better than any. Ieuan Evans, no less, believes that Wales now has the best coaching team in the world.

What do these figures mean? Five, four, three, three and three. My score over the first five holes at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club? Your score over five holes at your golf club? According to my colleague Paul Ackford in a Sunday newspaper the name of which temporarily escapes me, they are, respectively, the number of different locks, props, scrum-halves, No 8s and blindside flankers Thomas Lievremont has chosen in France's four games in the Championship so far.

No doubt Lievremont will whistle up a couple of new wingers, trawl Toulouse for an uncapped centre, pick an uncapped prop and encourage them to go to Cardiff and play the unstructured, accident-prone style they showed against Italy. Well go on, Thomas. Try that and see what happens. If Wales's maligned forwards play as strongly as they did against Ireland then France's fowards won't get much of the ball. They were bashed about by Italy's forwards and what had Wales done to the Italian eight a fortnight earlier? If France's forwards can't get the ball and rumble forward then France's backs can't go wide. As someone said, to go wide you have first to go forward. If France can't do that, then Wales will win without too much difficulty.   

But be careful Wales, be very careful. Whether or not he has been disrespectful to the wonderful and venerable competition we call the Six Nations, Lievremont should have unearthed a team by now. Parra and Trinh-Duc could be a terrific half back pairing. Heymans and Clerc are revitalised. With Rougerie on a wing and Traille and Jauzion in the centre the French backs lack nothing in guile, pace or power. Shaun Edwards and his blitz defence will be tested as never before on Saturday.

France have to win by 20 points or more. There is no point in their playing safety-first rugby. It's the devil take the hindmost in the Millennium Stadium on Saturday and it should be a spectacular match.

I predict that Wales will win and claim the Grand Slam for the second time in four seasons and that this team has the makings of World Cup contenders in three years' time.

Hmmm. What is that sound, that sound coming from Wales? Oh yes, a nation holding its breath - still. 

Comments

[donald rees]

Wales deserve the grand slam.They are the only team which has tried to play rugby.All this talk of it being a poor year is nonsense.the world cup was poor if a boring limited team like England nearly won it.shane williams has proved to be the best back in the championship and will easily win the player of the year.just sour grapes from some people.Incidentally i was in a crowded Dublin on sat and there was a mighty roar from irish and welsh fans when scotland beat the most in the championship on sat.Thank goodness the championship has Wales in it.

[Simon from South Africa]

Is winning the Grand Slam this year even an achievement?

France have experimented all season. England, Scotland and Ireland are mediocre at best, while Italy just aren't good enough.

Argentina would probably have won they Grand Slam this year if they'd been included in a Seven Nations.

[Haydn]

Be honest, you must be feeling a little silly about those Shane comments....

[Richard]

And all with that rubbish Shane Williams on the wing. I don't know about you but I lost count of the number of times he fell over, dropped the ball and blew try scoring chances...