Wales win Six Nations Grand Slam

Wales clinched a third Grand Slam in eight years  thanks to a 16-9 win over France which also gave them a measure of revenge for their heart-breaking World Cup semi-final defeat last year. Wales wing Alex Cuthbert scored the only try of an absorbing match in front of a 74,178-capacity Millennium Stadium crowd in Cardiff, as the hosts added to their 2005 and 2008 Six Nations sweeps. "These guys have been a real credit to themselves, Wales and Welsh rugby. They're excellent professionals. They make our job as coaches easier as they do more than what we expect," said Wales coach Warren Gatland. "They showed some great character, they know how to win and win ugly. They didn't know how to do that in the past." Wales skipper Sam Warburton, who was sent off in the World Cup defeat against France in Auckland, added: "This makes all the sacrifices worth while. "You have to give credit to the French. They made it difficult for us to get our game going. But we won and that's what counts."A stunning solo try by Cuthbert, allied with three penalties and a conversion by Leigh Halfpenny were enough to see off a French side that scored three penalties through Dimitri Yachvili (2) and Lionel Beauxis. Victory also meant Wales had equalled the record of their celebrated 1970s predecessors by winning three Slams in the one decade. Saturday's match took place the day after Welsh great Mervyn Davies, captain of the 1976 Slam team, died from cancer. "It's a very young team and this was their first chance to win anything," said Wales back-row forward and man-of-the-match Dan Lydiate. "Mervyn Davies was a legend of the game and our thoughts go out to his family at this time." England finished second and boosted the chances of interim coach Stuart Lancaster becoming their permanent boss with a convincing 30-9 victory over Ireland at Twickenham. A youthful pack overpowered Ireland up front and that dominance was reflected when England scored a penalty try from a scrum heading into the final quarter. Then, seven minutes from time, replacement scrum-half Ben Youngs sealed England's win with a sniping try as England 'won' the second half 21-3. Victory gave Lancaster a record of four victories from five matches since he was appointed on a caretaker basis following Martin Johnson's post World Cup resignation. "The players were outstanding," said Lancaster, who refused to be drawn on his future in the job. "That's for others to decide. But if you told me that one day I would be applauding 80,000 people at Twickenham with a bunch of lads I respect, I would have taken it." England's Owen Farrell kicked 20 points while all of Ireland's points came courtesy of three penalties from fly-half Jonathan Sexton. Scotland finished with the wooden spoon as Italy beat them 13-6 in Rome. Scotland's losing streak now extends to seven Tests in a row -- a run dating back to last year's World Cup and their worst since 1998. For Italy, who scored the only try through wing Giovanbattista Venditti early in the second half, victory saw them avoid the wooden spoon for the first time in five years and gave their French coach Jacques Brunel his first win in charge. "The win feels good. We've had enough good matches in this tournament, we only just lost against England here at the (Stadio) Olimpico for example," said Italy captain Sergio Parisse. Scotland have now lost 12 of their 15 Six Nations matches under coach Andy Robinson and this latest defeat is bound to intensify speculation surrounding his position, even though his contract runs until the 2015 World Cup. "I'm still contracted until 2015. I'm going away to reflect on the Six Nations and reflect on the future, in terms of the positivity that we have, the players we have and the way forward -- and putting a plan together for the way forward," he said.