Six Nations: Wales lift trophy behind closed doors after missing out on Grand Slam
Wales have conquered European rugby for a second time in three seasons with their Six Nations title and Triple Crown triumphs.
Saturday 27 March 2021 18:44, UK
Wales have lifted the Six Nations trophy in a celebration behind closed doors held a week after they played their last match.
Head coach Wayne Pivac admitted the team had been on an "emotional rollercoaster" as they saw their hopes of clinching a Grand Slam ended by France last week in the dying seconds of a gripping Paris encounter.
But after taking the Six Nations crown he said "the sun does come up in the morning".
After the Welsh loss to Les Bleus, it meant France had a chance of denying Wales the title on Friday - but only if they secured a bonus point victory and a winning margin of 21 points or more.
They failed and the French lost the game in extra time to Scotland.
"It was an emotional rollercoaster the last seven days," Pivac said.
"We put in by far our best performance against the French, and I thought we had done enough midway through the second-half to have won that game, but it wasn't to be.
"To lose it in the last play of the game was devastating. The boys really wanted that Grand Slam, so we had the lows of not achieving that.
"Then we didn't know if it was good enough to win the championship. Waiting (almost) seven days for that match and then having to go through that match with so many moments that kept us on our toes."
He added: "The last week, it probably took me until Wednesday or Thursday to really want to come out of the house, purely from the point of view that it was a sickening feeling for the players who had worked so hard.
"They have had to put up with a lot in the last 12 months and we've all had to live through this thing (coronavirus pandemic).
"It was really hard to take, I have got to say, but the sun does come up in the morning, as people say."
Wales are now just one behind England in terms of overall Six Nations title triumphs and their latest success came after a poor 2020 when they won just three Test matches - beating Italy, twice, and Georgia.
It was Pivac's first year at the helm since after succeeding Warren Gatland, and Six Nations silverware underlines how quickly Wales' fortunes have been turned around.
"It's not about me, it's about the team. We are very much a team," Pivac said.
"I know the rugby public hurt when we don't win a Test match, just like how we hurt. That is expected, it goes with the territory. But moments like this make up for the bad times."