Your shout on the 6N champs

'Enjoy it while it lasts, because it ain't gonna last long'

We've been inundated with tributes to the Welsh side which sealed a remarkable Grand Slam against Ireland in Cardiff on Saturday - but the champs are not without their detractors. Here are a few of your messages...

'THE DRAGON BREATHES AGAIN'

What a game for Wales, a great atmosphere, and I think we fully deserved the grand slam, we played positive rugby for the entire tournament and have showed everyone else how to play the game.  As Jonathan Davies said, any player in that Welsh XV not chosen to go on the Lions tour will be very very unlucky.
- Hywel Jones, Cardiff

From a chastened England fan - it is a delight to witness skill and adventure. Congratulations to Wales on their achievement in 2005! Let's hope Sir Clive picks several of the boyos to give the All Blacks a particularly hard time and contribute to a series win in NZ. A repeat of 1971 would be fantastic.
- Ralph Livesey-Wardle, English exile in Germany

Okay, so Wales has gone and done it - big deal. Does anyone actually take this Wales unit THAT seriously? I sure don't. It happened in a year in which France and England--the perennial contenders for the 6N crown--were in flux. And as any fan of the 6N knows, if England and France have a down year, it truly is anyone's tournament. While France may have a bit more difficulty coming up with excuses for not taking home the title than England would, Mr. Robinson's men are playing with a new coach and almost an entirely new team from the one that won the 6N (and World Cup) two years ago. As anyone who has played just about any competitive team sport can attest, having good players doesn't necessarily produce a good team. England still needs time to gel.
 
The simple fact of the matter is that this Wales team found itself in the right place at the right time. In my humble opinion, they are the closest thing one will ever see to a 6N Grand Slam "paper-champion". Honestly, who thinks this Wales team would have half a chance to beat England from 2003, or even France from that same year (or either of those teams from last year, even)? To Wales and their fans, I would only say: enjoy it while it lasts, because it ain't gonna last long!
- Bill Whitlock, USA
 
Now that Wales has dominated this years 6 nations, the Lions side MUST be based on that success, with their team being reinforced with mostly Irish players, and perhaps 2 English and one Scot.You have been left behind if you cant see that Wales have taken the game to a new dimension, and next year other nations will be trying to catch them  up.It must wrangle with a lot of 'supporters' out there that Wales can win games by scoring tries from anywhere on the field, and they don't have to rely on one person to kick penalties created by a slow oversized jumbo pack that create a boring predictable spectacle that seems to suit some 'supporters'. Get with it, or be left further behind.
- John Matthews

Wales played the most exciting rugby of the tournament showing the true extent of rugby union as a team game. A style of game played at pace with great interaction amongst forwards and backs - a style of play that is high risk but excites spectators and will attract people to watch the great game. Lets hope its the first building block in the establishment of a consistent and successful Welsh team. Northern Hemisphere Rugby can only benefit as all the 6N teams get stronger and achieve success. This 6N has been the most exciting 4 years.
- Kevin Jones

I read with interest your article about Mr. Graham Henry. I think he is the greatest thing that has ever happened to World Rugby. He pointed Welsh rugby in the right direction and now we have achieved something notable from the foundation he laid.
- Doug Davies, Porthcawl, Wales

Definitely the weirdest tournament I can remember in years, mainly characterised by the supposed dominant teams performing poorly. Well done to the Welsh for winning the grand slam it is good to see them coming back to form after so many years in the wilderness. But to me the most astonishing thing has been how poorly England, France and Ireland played for long parts of the tournament. England only started putting things together against the lesser nations (with due respect to Scotland and Italy) but also had periods against France, Ireland and Wales where they dominated but it was all too little, too late and too sporadic. France varied from the abysmal (first half against England, whole match against Scotland) to the fantastic (first half against Wales), often falling asleep (catastrophically against Wales). Ireland only once got their forward game going - against Scotland when their centre partnership was missing. No coincidence there.

Wales played much more consistently throughout the tournament although even they came off the boil on occasion. But perhaps the weirdest team of the lot was Scotland, who varied from the truly dire to actually quite creative. Italy were pretty uniformly poor except against Ireland where they were beaten by the genius that is ODriscoll.

Overall the quality of the tournament was quite poor, with only Wales showing near their best. New Zealand will be rubbing their hands together at the prospect of the Lions tour unless the players can gel together effectively.

Wales won because the other teams decided to play ... like Wales! Teams such as Ireland, Scotland and England should not play the kind of unstructured, broken field game that the Welsh love to play, in exactly the same way that Wales shouldn't play a structured game. Only France are capable of playing both, but they are so unpredictable that they could do it brilliantly one week (or even one half) and then poorly the next.

My biggest disappointment as an England fan is that we seem to have been dragged into this unstructured style in some of the games we played look at the Scotland match with 7 tries to 3. Says it all really. I thought OGara allowed himself to get sucked into the Welsh game plan which lost them the game. When Humphreys came on they looked a far better team.

To beat a team like Wales requires the opposition to impose a structured game plan (like Ireland did against Scotland) keep it tight until the hard work has been done and then the backs can be unleashed. I believe that Wales (well, the current Wales the team of a few years ago did not have the talent) will always win an unstructured game against the home nations teams only two sides are as good or better at it than they are France and New Zealand.

From a Lions point of view, therein lies the rub because if the Lions play the same game plan as the Welsh, they will lose in New Zealand. I am not saying that there should be no Welsh players in the Lions team I believe that Peel, Martyn Williams and Gethin Jenkins have all put down their markers, with maybe Shane Williams another (although he is very suspect in defence) and Michael Owen pushing for a place. But the Lions team will have to control New Zealand possession and to do this requires a tighter game with fast backs combined with a very strong defence. Fortunately Clive Woodward knows this (even if many rugby pundits don't) as he has learnt the lesson the hard way. Look at the early Woodward teams total rugby followed by defeat. And look at the style which won the world cup structured rugby followed by success.

To win in New Zealand will require a combination of all four nations the experience of England (Lewsey, Thompson, Robinson, Hill, Wilkinson), the flair of Wales (Williams M, Williams S, Peel, Jenkins), the excellence of Ireland (ODriscoll, DArcy, OConnell, Murphy) and possibly the odd Scot (I thought Paterson and Lamont had excellent games for Scotland except maybe for Patersons non tackle of Noon). And it has always been this way if one team dominates it is usually to the detriment of the Lions.
- John Coppins

The Red Devils are back! The excitement that has gone out of Rugby over recent years has been revived by this new young Welsh exciting team, they played with the boldness and flair that England has lacked for years.This is the start of many major  wins for this new Welsh team -- holding the same excitement and thrill of breathtaking manoeuvres we all witnessed in  the 1970's. Well done Wales!
- Dianne Surrey, Glamorgan

Having grown up through the seventies playing rugby in South Wales, and not missing a home international from 1972-79, it was great to see the flair and adventure back again. Having a Welsh coach definitely helps as it is only a fellow Welshman that can describe pride and heart in the 'Land of our Fathers'.
- Kevin Herbert, USA

- I think Wales v Ireland was one of the most exciting games in recent years and the forthcoming Lions tour of New Zealand should provide some of the greatest rugby ever ... what a pity Clive Woodward has to be involved, in his desire to win he will no doubt destroy everything we saw yesterday.
- John Bell, Portugal

Being half Scottish, half Kiwi, I always seem to have a team to support when it comes to the Tri-Nations or Six Nations tournaments. After Scotland though, I have always cheered on Wales in The Six Nations. It has something to do with supporting the under-dog.

Today however, I am untying the under-dog label, crumpling it up and tossing it in the bin. I don't think that we will need it again any time soon, except when referring to Wales' opponents.

Congratulations Wales, you played rugby that was a joy to behold and we salute you for your deserved Grand Slam. Long may you play exciting, entertaining, and winning rugby.

I look forward with anticipation (and a new fear and trepidation) to the Lions tour and the possibility of a Dragons-All Blacks clash at the end of this year.
- Warwick Sickling, Auckland

Well all you doubters may have a little less to say now; I am Welsh and proud of it but more than that I am a Rugby fan and this year I have been proud of the rugby my country has played; if the opposition scores four tries we want to score five; and what is wrong with that.

Rugby is an exciting game when played like that and if people were true to themselves they would have to agree. By the way for such a poor defender didn't Shane Williams do well knocking Foley into touch in the second half. Come on you whinging English just for once admit that we had a great tournament and thoroughly deserved our victory; I for one am going to enjoy this weekend!
- Tony Gill, Bordeaux, France

All credit to the Welsh for an exciting consistent display of rugby throughout the six nations. They thoroughly deserve their success and accolades.

However why did the 6 Nations organisers allow the singing of further patriotic songs after the anthems to hold up the start of the game? I feel it was well out of order and a clear affront to the opposition showing considerable disrespect. To have Bryn Terfil singing from the sidelines to ignite the home fans is one thing but swaggering around the pitch waving a flag and holding the start of the game up was offensive. Any other ordinary fan doing this at the start of a game would have been taken off by the stewards and ejected from the ground. But what a great Six Nations competition long may this standard of excitement prevail.
- Terry Kitts, England fan (38 years watching 5 & 6 nations rugby)

True class prevails, what an amazing performance and season, now bring on the world!
- Graham Powell

The heroes of 1978 did not get smashed by 50 points by SANZAR teams as Wales are still doing now.
- Stuart 'Balls' Smith, Ottawa, Canada

Even though I am a kiwi, one of the sweetest and most passionate national anthems is the welsh 'Land of my Fathers'.

The Grand Sslam win by Wales was a long awaited tribute for all those fans who have sung the national anthem for many a long year, yesterday they reached right down into the bowels of the minepits and returned the Welsh to the top of the Northern Hemisphere.

Congratulations to the people of the valleys and the boyos of the rugby field. Sing long and sweet into the nite, you deserve it.
- Robert Biddle, Te Koutu, Rotorua

I'm an old rugby dinosaur from the 1950's, a rabid Ireland supporter, and relic from the "who's  better - Cliff Morgan or Jackie Kyle" debates. Nowadays, living in the USA for the past 50 years, I can only follow 6N rugby via the Internet.

Wish today's result could have been different, but I can easily imagine the joy in Cardiff.

Congratulations Wales! I am happy to see them back at the top as one of the world's great rugby nations. If any of my old Welsh friends should read this I would enjoy hearing from them.
- Hamish Small