What a day!

Wales did it, they are the champions!

It all started in Rome at 2.30 when the Irish and Italian teams walked out to sing the anthems. The Irish looked like they were looking forward to the flight home, and as they sang 'shoulder to shoulder', their faces said it all, they didn't sing it, they talked it! No spark there, they had lost already.

In complete contrast, the Italians were crying as  their anthem echoed around the stadium, and when it finished they started screaming support at each other, no doubt in their minds whatsoever as to who was going to win today! Their hero, Andrea Lo Cicero, retired that day and what a way to go out. He was crying floods as he left the pitch, his first game for Italy had been back in 1999. His team mates couldn't console him.

Wales had the same passion as the Italians, though the English wanted to win almost as much. They showcased the best 'game of the tournament' in Cardiff yesterday, a game that will be talked about in Wales as long as there are voices to be heard. Nobody expected Wales to cruise away with it, they were just so determined, they were on fire, and the English will have their time, but not this year!

France did win, but not by enough to avoid the big wooden spoon, so this is for you France, even though you played a great game, well done. 

To their credit, the Scottish defence were brilliant and they held out for so long, they can be proud of their efforts and they are sure to go one better next year. 

So the final table looks like this…

	Pos	Team	W	D	L	F	A	Pd	Tf	Pts
	1	Wales	4	0	1	122	66	56	9	8
	2	England	4	0	1	94	78	16	5	8
	3	Scotland	2	0	3	98	107	-9	7	4
	4	Italy	2	0	3	75	111	-36	5	4
	5	Ireland	1	1	3	72	81	-9	5	3
	6	France	1	1	3	73	91	-18	6	3

So, what comfort do I get as an Irishman from this years performance?

Well, we were the only team to beat Wales, weren't we!

Last day tomorrow!

Yes, six weeks gone already my friends and we are nearly across the line, but who will be sitting top of that table tomorrow evening? Wales or England for sure, and if you believe the bookies then Wales are already champions! I'm still certain England can do it and we've a lot of great players back from injury for this one; though I suspect they were being rested against Italy because it would be such an easy game, haaa!

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	PD	TF	Pts
	England	4	4	0	0	91	48	43	5	8
	Wales	4	3	0	1	92	63	29	7	6
	Scotland	4	2	0	2	82	84	-2	6	4
	Ireland	4	1	1	2	57	59	-2	5	3
	Italy	4	1	0	3	53	96	-43	4	2
	France	4	0	1	3	50	75	-25	4	1

But before that we have Italy v Ireland at 2.30, an all catholic event in Rome and a new Pope just down the road, who seems eccentric enough to turn up! I think Italy can win this, mainly because Ireland have nothing to play for and Italy have 'avoiding the wooden spoon' to play for.

Wales v England at 5.00 is the big one and Cardiff is the place to be. This city is unique in that it doesn't have enough pubs to cope with the capacity crowd of the Millennium Stadium, and that's why you'll notice everyone trying to leave 5 minutes early! Once the pubs are full, the bouncers won't let anyone in until someone leaves, and nobody leaves because they know they won't get in anywhere else. Did you know that Cardiff airport is nearer to Bristol than Cardiff?

At 8.00, the very last match of the 2013 tournament sees the once great France v Scotland, with the French looking for their first win of the tournament; now that's never happened before! The French will surely win but even then they could end up with the wooden spoon. 

The final table will go up here on Sunday along with a photo of the new Champions…

Over a thousand hits on this blog in the past 6 weeks has made me think this a very worthwhile bit of fun and I look forward to linking up with you all next February when I hope to visit Dublin.

Who's coming?