Training ground “keep ball” led to win

Mar 9 2008 by Our Correspondent, Wales On Sunday

IAN GOUGH revealed it was a subdued atmosphere in the Wales dressing room following their Triple Crown success in Ireland.

Gough, one of only three survivors from Wales’ last victory across the Irish Sea eight years ago, admitted the sweet taste of another victory in Ireland was shortlived at Croke Park – due to a lack of energy.

Gough said: “It was a brilliant feeling, but I don’t think the win will sink in until my lungs start filling back up.

“The elation was up there for five minutes, but then it became subdued because everyone was so shattered.

“It was a fantastic performance by the forwards and we’re earning a big reputation for ourselves.

“The front row were superb and kept working. We couldn’t ask for anymore from them.”

Wales closed the match out in Dublin following four minutes of possession rugby to kill off Ireland.

And giant Gough admitted it was a set move from the training ground.

Gough said: “We’ve worked on it in training and it’s a couple of drills that we do. We’re delighted to do it against an Irish team because Munster did it to Cardiff last weekend for about seven minutes, so it’s nice to do it back to them.

“We wouldn’t have tried that in the past and it proved to be highly effective. We knew we just had to run down the clock and keep hold of the ball. It was a great feeling when the referee blew his whistle.”

Warren Gatland’s men now face France in a Grand Slam decider at the Millennium Stadium next Saturday.

And Gough insists the players will keep their feet firmly on the ground ahead of the showdown in Cardiff.

Gough added: “The job is not finished. It’s fantastic what we’ve achieved so far and we’ve got everything to play for. We’ll watch the French intensely against Italy and analyse them.

“They’ve got stars throughout their team and they will be fighting for the championship. But we just need to focus on ourselves.”