Edwards on a high after Grand Slam

There were 74,000 fans packed into Cardiff as Wales clinched their Six Nations grand slam last month. And to hear Gareth Edwards tell it, every one of them was singing as the Welsh rode to a 29-12 victory over France. It was return to the glory days of the 1970s for Wales, a time when a certain diminutive scrumhalf ruled the rugby world with his fast feet and even faster hands.

And a mere mention of that night makes Edwards' eyes sparkle. 'You know, it means everything back home,' he said, while in town to help promote next year's British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa. And to take in the Sevens, of course.

'The All Blacks continue to be so successful - outside the World Cup of course - because they are never content to be runners-up. And Wales were like that for a long time. We used to punch above our weight and the people fed on that success.

'So this victory was just a huge lift to the nation. It just means everything, especially to the younger generation who had heard so much about the times when Wales were always winning grand slams.'

What impressed the 61-year-old most about Wales' title was the fact that their form came as such a surprise. After a dismal World Cup last year, many pundits expected the Welsh to simply make up the numbers come Six Nations time.

'To me it was all the more remarkable because it was so unexpected,'' said Edwards. 'There's no question that the missing element, the ingredient, was having [coaches Warren] Gatland and [Shaun] Edwards in there.

'There had been a lot of talk about player power in the Wales team, senior players wanting to do their own thing. But with those two I think players realised they had to do it their way, or it was the highway.