Wales clinched their second Grand Slam in four years by beating defending Six Nations champion France 29-12 at a jubilant Millennium Stadium on Saturday. The Welsh, who failed to reach the World Cup quarterfinals five months ago, won the tournament decider with wing Shane Williams setting a national record with his 41st try. Flanker Martyn Williams, who had retired after the World Cup but was quickly persuaded by new coach Warren Gatland to revise his decision, added a late second try. Gatland praised his team for its mental strength and the way it coped with pressure, such as the period early in the second half when France pulled level at 9-9 with Wales center Gavin Henson in the sin bin. Wales had the luxury of two excellent flyhalves in James Hook and Stephen Jones, whereas France ended the tournament unable to make up its mind as to its best halfback pairing, recalling David Skrela and Jean-Baptiste Elissalde for Saturday's game. The French, under new coach Marc Lievremont after losing the World Cup third place playoff last year, finished third with England snatching second place. England, with Danny Cipriani at flyhalf for his first start and Jonny Wilkinson relegated to the bench, put on a vastly improved showing to beat Ireland 33-10 at Twickenham. The victory ended a run of four England defeats by the Irish and made up for the dismal display in defeat by Scotland at Murrayfield a week earlier. Cipriani, starting for the first time, had a perfect afternoon with the boot, contributing 18 points to the tries scored by Paul Sackey, Mathew Tait and man-of-the-match Jamie Noon. Scotland went to Rome knowing a draw would suffice to avoid a second successive wooden spoon but only just avoided that ignominy as a last-minute drop goal by fullback Andrea Marcato gave Italy a 23-20 win. The Queensland Reds, humiliated 92-3 by the South African Bulls last year, produced a remarkable turnaround to beat the Super 14 champion 40
