SIX NATIONS DIGEST

Today's other stories in brief

Welsh the perennial spoilsports

WALES HAVE proved something of a nemesis in terms of denying Ireland Triple Crowns.

They did so in the 1951 Five Nations Championship and to make matters worse, proved a stumbling block to an Ireland clean sweep in the process.

It was three years after Ireland had won their only Grand Slam, and with many of that great team still involved, the Irish travelled to the Principality but ended up coming agonisingly short, drawing the match 3-3.

If you had been allowed to apply modern scoring values, Ireland would actually have won the game, as they scored a try through outhalf Jackie Kyle while the only Welsh response came from a penalty.

Williams looking razor-sharp

SHANE WILLIAMS was once known for his mullet hairstyle but now, thankfully, he's noted more for his neat sidestep. But the plucky Welsh wing rose to his current elevated position from the relative backwaters of Amman United, a junior club where he played scrumhalf.

After a sharp-eyed individual spotted Williams, he was invited to Neath and stuck on the wing.

Then it all started to happen. Williams, like Ireland and Bruff prop John Hayes, travelled unapproved roads to the top and is probably the man Ireland will seek out this weekend for "special" attention. Who says conventional routes are best?

Grand Slam remembered

OBVIOUSLY THE most celebrated clash between Ireland and Wales from an Irish perspective took place on March 13th, 1948, when a Jack Kyle-inspired home team won 6-3 at Ravenhill to capture the nation's one and as yet only Grand Slam. Barney Mullan and John C Daly were Ireland's try-scoring heroes that day.

While EMI music launched a celebratory 60th anniversary DVD yesterday, there are further events planned for next week.

A special lunch, organised by the Ulster Committee of the Wooden Spoon Charity will take place at the Europa Hotel next Thursday, March 13th, exactly 60 years to the day from the win.

The event, which will be attended by the six of the seven surviving team members, will also celebrate the 25th anniversary of Wooden Spoon.

The surviving players will have a private dinner on Wednesday night before going to the public lunch the following day.

Gibson saw most red

MIKE GIBSON holds the record as the man with most Ireland caps against Wales.

The Ulster, Ireland and Lions legend played against the Welsh on 14 occasions, a run only broken when Wales controversially refused - as did Scotland - to travel to Lansdowne Road to fulfil their Five Nations Championship fixtures in 1972.

The 69-times-capped Gibson played in every match between the countries over that 15-year period.

Movable feast

CROKE PARK will be the sixth Irish venue to host a Test between Ireland and Wales. Three of the other five venues are in Belfast; the other two are Lansdowne Road and Thomond Park, which hosted the Welsh in 1898.

As for the Belfast venues, Ireland clinched a Triple Crown when beating Wales at Ballynafeigh on March 10th, 1894, while the Principality have also played at the Balmoral Showgrounds and, of course, Ravenhill.

Good as it gets

IRELAND HAVE conceded fewer penalties than any other team in this season's Six Nations. The tally stands at 21, broken down between the Italian (11), French (1) and Scottish (9) games. Wales have conceded 25.

Wales lead the try-scoring stats with 10, while Ireland are joint second with France on eight.

Ireland's outhalf Ronan O'Gara needs another 24 points to reach the 450-point landmark in the Championship.

His Wales counterpart, Stephen Jones, needs 30 to reach the 350 mark.

Mark his words

IT SEEMS it is not the Irish alone who covet the mantle of underdogs. Wales winger Mark Jones has studiously played down the chances of his Grand Slam-chasing team beating Ireland today.

He argues Ireland should be confident because Wales's last win in Dublin was in 2000, adding, "There's not a lot to choose between the two teams but their home advantage and hostile crowd will be worth a few points to them."