CROWN Warren Gatland. Beatify Shane Williams. Wales are Grand Slam champions for the second time in four seasons.

This was a remarkable performance against a French side who refused to lie down. Wales were assured, controlled, sharp and mature. It has been a staggering transformation since Fiji sent them spinning out of the World Cup in September last year at Nantes. Gatland has to take huge credit for bringing structure and discipline but on Saturday it was all about the players. Breakaway Martyn Williams, winger Shane Williams and No.12 Gavin Henson were all magnificent. Little Shane provided the killer try around the hour mark but it was the ability of Martyn Williams allied to the endeavour throughout the side which drove them home.

Wales made relatively few mistakes. That was the guts of it. In the biggest game of their collective lives they were accurate and they seemed, from this position at least, to enjoy every moment of it. Only special sides have grace under pressure and Wales are a special side. The challenge for them now is to take this on the road to South Africa for two Tests in June. After the last Grand Slam Wales lost eight out of 10 of their next Six Nations matches. That can't be allowed to happen again.

The other plank of Welsh resistance was their discipline. It was France who conceded the majority of the penalties in the first period, allowing James Hook to bang over three goals. Indeed, there was one moment which verged on the incredulous when three of Wales' tight forwards dragged Adam Jones away from a nasty scrap after Wales were awarded an easy shot at goal. Discipline has been a watchword of Gatland's all season but if that moment pleased him Henson's head-high tackle on Fulgence Ouedraogo would have tested his patience. Jean-Baptiste Elissalde stepped up to smack over his second penalty and Henson was sent to the sin bin.

Henson's indiscretion and his absence cost his side six points, tying the scores at 9-9. With the scores level and margin for error reduced, the game finally achieved the status of a Grand Slam encounter.

Eventually the crucial mistake happened. France attacked off a midfield scrum. Julien Bonnaire provided the link, Yannick Jauzion ran from deep but the French centre was unable to hang onto the pass, Wales hacked on and Shane Williams put in the chase of his life to win the race for the try as Anthony Floch covered across. The decision went to the television match official but there was never a doubt about the try. The score catapulted Williams to the top of the Welsh try-scorers' list, with 41, one ahead of Gareth Thomas.

The final quarter-of-an-hour was not exactly processional. The game was too important and too close for that. But there was something of a celebration about the final minutes. Every turnover was applauded, every shove by Wales at scrum-time or hit in the tackle was greeted with a roar that began deep in the bowels of the Millennium Stadium and seemed to go on interminably.

This was Wales' toughest test and the way they managed the game and the expectations heaped upon them indicates that there is more to come from this group of players. Martyn Williams's try three minutes from the end simply underlined that impression. Some game. Some occasion. Some Grand Slam.

Telegraph, London