Wales have been crowned 2021 Guinness Six Nations champions after Scotland beat France in the final game of the Championship in Paris.
Wayne Pivac’s side were denied a Grand Slam by Les Bleus in the most dramatic of circumstances on Super Saturday as late tries from Charles Ollivon and Brice Dulin snatched a 32-30 victory.
But six days later Wales can celebrate a well-deserved second title in three years after their Round 5 conquerors were unable to chalk up the bonus-point win with a 21-point margin of victory they needed over Scotland in Paris – eventually losing 27-23 to finish second in the final reckoning.
After a tricky 2020 Championship that saw them finish fifth with just one win, Wales bounced back in style this year as dramatic comeback victories over Ireland in Round 1 (21-16) and Scotland in Round 2 (25-24) set the tone.
A late surge helped see off England 40-24 in Round 3 before Italy were put to the sword 48-7 in Rome in Round 4 to set up a Grand Slam decider at the Stade de France on Super Saturday.
They were on the verge of a record-extending fifth Grand Slam of the Six Nations era as they led 32-20 with France down to 14 men in the closing stages.
However, one of the finest matches in Championship history had a sting in the tail as two Welsh players were sin-binned before Ollivon and Dulin crashed over in the final five minutes to remarkably turn things around.
Yet, less than a week later, Wales could at least celebrate the 2021 Championship title – their sixth of the Six Nations era, trailing only England on seven – as Duhan van der Merwe crossed for a last-gasp try to give Scotland a 27-23 victory, their first in Paris since 1999.
They will now lift the trophy at the Vale Resort in Glamorgan on Saturday and can reflect on a memorable campaign that came in the most unique of circumstances.
