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Wales can complete their remarkable rugby metamorphosis by beating France on Saturday to win a Six Nations grand slam six months after trudging home from the World Cup in despair.
September’s decisive group stage defeat by Fiji ended coach Gareth Jenkins’ spell in charge but the gloom has been replaced as his replacement Warren Gatland and assistants Shaun Edwards and Rob Howley effected an almost instant transformation.
Wales will win the championship as long as they avoid a 20-point defeat at the Millennium Stadium, or a 19-point loss with France scoring more tries, but nobody is thinking about damage limitation at this stage.
“To win on points difference would be something of a hollow victory,” Gatland said this week.
“We have already achieved something in this campaign that can’t be taken away from us but we have an opportunity now to push on and do something a little bit special in front of our home crowd and to put some more smiles on Welsh faces.”
Gatland recalled James Hook to the flyhalf position ahead of Stephen Jones for Saturday’s decider.
However, France arrive on the back of five straight wins over the Welsh in Cardiff and with coach Marc Lievremont reining in some of his more adventurous selections.
Halfbacks Jean-Baptiste Elissalde and David Skrela, back rowers Thierry Dusautoir and Julien Bonnaire and centre Damien Traille all return to a formidable looking lineup.
Victory by the required margin would make France the first team to win three successive titles outright but whatever happens in Cardiff, Lievremont has already shown the holders have huge strength in depth and can still play the sort of rugby that former coach Bernard Laporte was so wary of.
England and Ireland do battle at Twickenham in what will probably be a third-place play-off, although the winners could just snatch second if France lose.
For England to be contemplating a fifth successive finish outside the top two so soon after reaching the World Cup final is a huge disappointment and coach Brian Ashton has struggled to impose a recognisable style during a topsy-turvy campaign.
England were dire in defeat by Scotland last week and a fifth successive loss to Ireland would leave Ashton on thin ice ahead of a daunting June tour to New Zealand.
Ashton dropped Jonny Wilkinson to bring in the flyhalf talent of 20-year-old Danny Cipriani but said the rest of the players deserved the chance to put things right.
Ireland also made one change, though injury-enforced, after their 16-12 loss to Wales as Geordan Murphy comes in for Brian O’Driscoll in a reshuffled back line.
Their coach Eddie O’Sullivan is also under pressure as he has backed up a poor World Cup with an uninspired Six Nations and with O’Driscoll out with a torn hamstring, his team could struggle to secure a third successive Twickenham success.
Scotland’s ended a run of three defeats with victory over England and they will be desperate not to slip backwards when they face Italy in Rome.
Italy, who have lost all four games, need to win by five points or more to overhaul their rivals and avoid the wooden spoon.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.