How Wales won the Grand Slam

Mar 16 2008 Wales on Sunday

Edwards makes Wales the land of song

England 19-26 Wales

THERE was only one Englishman singing after Wales ended 20 years of hurt at Twickenham.

Deep in the bowels of HQ, Shaun Edwards – the Englishman at the heart of the Welsh revival – started the singalong.

His lone voice struck up the Drifters’ ‘Saturday Night at the Movies’, to be joined by the rest of the Welsh players.

If there was a moment when the players and their new coaching staff – under the guidance of Warren Gatland – came together as one, this was it.

Edwards, a man who holds tradition dear but also likes to break down barriers, is in no doubt about the importance of the moment.

“I just wanted the team to have a song and ‘Saturday Night at the Movies’ is the only one I know the words to,” he explained.

“We had just beaten England and everybody was just sat down in the dressing room. I started singing and everybody just joined in. It has become a theme for us now.

“The players did look at me a bit strangely but I believe you have to celebrate your victories and there isn’t a better way than singing a song.”

That simple celebration formed a bond between Gatland, Edwards and the ‘new Wales’.

The bad old days of the World Cup in France had finally been exorcised by a truly remarkable comeback against the World Cup finalists.

The last time Wales had won on the old cabbage patch was back in 1988.

A whole generation had grown up not knowing what it felt like to beat England on their own ground.

But Gatland and Edwards, two natural-born winners, had already discussed the fact that the game against the Old Enemy would define Wales’ campaign.

A win would build confidence for the rest of the tournament; but a defeat would be a hammer blow for a group of players already low on belief.

Even now, with the luxury of hindsight, Edwards acknowledges it was the key game in the Six Nations.

“The fixture draw made it the defining game,” said Edwards. “We had Scotland and Italy at home and we expected to win those games.

“Ireland away was the tough one and then France at home could go either way.”

While most of Wales travelled across the River Severn in trepidation, Gatland and Edwards journeyed with genuine confidence.

The pair had already discussed and outlined their personal goal for the 2008 Six Nations.

“The aim was always to be champions, not win the Triple Crown,” said Edwards. “With respect to the great sides who have won Triple Crowns, it doesn’t mean as much with six teams in the tournament.

“Our goal was to be Six Nations champions.”

Such confidence and bloody-mindedness is what has marked out this campaign.

While Wales played fantasy rugby and swept all before them in 2005, the class of 2008 displayed real character and a stubborn streak.

They were a side in the image of Gatland and Edwards.

Wales looked dead and buried at half-time and England’s 16-6 lead doesn’t even begin to describe how dominant the English had been.

The Welsh pilgrimage to Richmond looked set to end in the ritual humiliation; but then half time came to save Wales.

Gatland delivered a calm appraisal of the situation and told his new charges to “respect the ball”, “look at the talent in this team” and “go out and play”.

There was no Churchillian speech but a rugby coach doing his job.

“It really was a game of two halves,” said Edwards. “We didn’t test England, kicked the ball too much and we didn’t have any balance in our game.

“But my abiding memory of the game was the last five minutes when the guys very maturely closed the game out.

“England, in recent years, have done that and won the big games. Whatever you think about their style of play, they aren’t the most successful side since the turn of the new century without reason.

“They win the big matches. If that means you have two scrums in the last five minutes in a game, that’s what you do.”

And that is exactly what Wales did.

They did an ‘England’ on England but not before tries by full-back Lee Byrne and scrum-half Mike Phillips set them on their way in a remarkable three-minute spell.

The comeback of comebacks had been completed.

England had imploded.

Jonny Wilkinson looked human and Wales had taken the first step towards a 19th Triple Crown.

But while the rest of the country was toasting a remarkable victory and turnaround, one man was still waiting to celebrate in proper style.

Edwards, a devout Roman Catholic, has given up alcohol for Lent.

“I had a glass of champagne after the England game but I hadn’t had a drink since February 5,” said Edwards.

That all changed at the end of the Six Nations.

Shaun Edwards’ man of the match

SHAUN EDWARDS has been forking out for a bottle of Champagne for his own personal man of the match during this Six Nations campaign.

“It wouldn’t mean anything if I’d got it free from somebody else,” said Edwards. “It’s just my way of saying ‘thank you’ to the players.”

His man of the match is very different from those of the TV pundits and over the next few pages he will guide us through the reasons behind his picks. This was his Twickers choice...

Mike Phillips

“The deciding play of the game in the victory over England at Twickenham came from Mike.

“We had talked about it before the game but he charged the kick down, chased the ball and then scored the try – it was one of the best pieces of defensive rugby I have ever seen.

“The 30 seconds from that moment to the try was superb and was something I have never seen before.”

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