Mark Jones' impromptu rendition of "Rockin' All Over The World" on Corner Flag stole the after-match show, as might his late run have crowned the match had he made it another yard. So leave it to the Williams boys, then; one for the show-stopper, the other for the encore.
Shane not only became Wales' highest-ever tryscorer; his last two efforts have completed a full-house of top-flight victims. Surely even Ben Cohen must be impressed by now? As for the ageless "Nugget", well, I pondered for a while but couldn't beat this from The Telegraph's Martin Johnson:
"Williams is one of those players who appears to have powdered Duracell, rather than blood, flowing through his veins, and his work in those dark areas beneath piles of steaming bodies puts you in mind of a ferret plunging down rabbit holes. The French back row will doubtless spend the next few weeks checking underneath their beds, just to make sure he's not there."
The Cardiff rain pinged off the stadium roof, but records still fell from the sky; Shane's Top Gun, half the previous record for tries conceded in a 6N (2 to England's 4 in 2003), 10/10 wins from 6N starts for Gavin Henson... and almost lost in there, Wales' biggest win over the French since... well, Agincourt, probably.
Neutrals will deride the quality of the game, and fairly so. But it is probably the greatest signifier of Wales' renaissance that they can now win games like this, and win them comfortably. Croke Park last week was an even less gaudy spectacle than this game, but Wales' performance there was a rough diamond of high carat. This was even better. A full-strength French XV never looked like scoring a try, and the scrum they lost under the Welsh posts perfectly symbolized their inferiority. That incident alone should earn the match video an 18 rating in France, while forwards coaches elsewhere will be busy making screensavers out of it.
England ambushed; Scotland dismissed; Italy humbled; Ireland outmuscled; France nullified. Where next for this Welsh side? A two-match series in South Africa, no less. It doesn't get any easier, does it?
Yet you sense that this Wales outfit wouldn't have it any other way...
Neutrals will deride the quality of the game, and fairly so. But it is probably the greatest signifier of Wales' renaissance that they can now win games like this, and win them comfortably. Croke Park last week was an even less gaudy spectacle than this game, but Wales' performance there was a rough diamond of high carat. This was even better. A full-strength French XV never looked like scoring a try, and the scrum they lost under the Welsh posts perfectly symbolized their inferiority. That incident alone should earn the match video an 18 rating in France, while forwards coaches elsewhere will be busy making screensavers out of it.England ambushed; Scotland dismissed; Italy humbled; Ireland outmuscled; France nullified. Where next for this Welsh side? A two-match series in South Africa, no less. It doesn't get any easier, does it?
Yet you sense that this Wales outfit wouldn't have it any other way...
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