Mike Ruddock and the Welsh grand slam of 2005

Feb 6 2009 by Brian Dick, Birmingham Post

Few men rise to lead their countries into a Six Nations campaign, fewer still manage to win the championship. Barely any mastermind a Grand Slam. Worcester director of rugby Mike Ruddock tells rugby correspondent Brian Dick how he did exactly that in 2005.

The Six Nations Championship is a cross between running a marathon in pressure-cooker like temperatures and a 100m sprint over broken glass. Do it well and it’s over in a flash, do it poorly and it feels like an eternity.

That is true nowhere more than in Wales, a country where rugby is a way of life and where heroes are lauded and villains pilloried.

In 2005 no one suspected Wales would be interested in anything other than an improvement on their previous two campaigns, from which they gleaned just two victories in ten games.

But that failed to take into account the heritage of a nation that prided itself as innovators of the sport.

And when Ruddock turned back the clock to introduce a style of rugby consistent with the legendary Welsh sides of the 1970s the result was a joy to behold.

The Dragons started off with an opening-day victory over England, delivered through an impish try from Shane Williams and a nerveless late, long-distance penalty from Gavin Henson. Cardiff went into meltdown.

It was a while before the capital got sight of their team again as Ruddock took his men on a tour of European capitals.

Wales crossed the Rubicon into Rome, Martyn Williams was Master of Paris, and the whole squad had a festival in Edinburgh. They returned home needing a victory over Ireland in the last game to seal a first Slam in 27 years.

They were not to be denied and when the diddiest of the Diddymen, Kevin Morgan, scorched through for the decisive score a country had been reborn.

Here are Ruddock’s five steps to glory:

1. Win the first game

“It’s not rocket science, you can’t win a Grand Slam without winning your first game. So much builds from there. It gives you the conviction as a team that you will win every match you play and a momentum.

“It also puts doubts into opponents’ minds when they come up against you. They