WHAT a weekend for Wales. And what a fantastic reward for all the early risers here, and across the country, whomay well have been half a sleep at the 6am kick-off but who were surely wide awake just five minutes later.

From the action-packed opening minutes, the match lived up to all of its promises and will go down in history as one of Wales’ best performances.

And what makes it so special is that this was a team with an average age of just 25, led by a 23-year-old captain who showed that age simply does not matter.

Sam Warburton has shown a maturity beyond his years and is now leading a team which is obviously united, utterly fearless, totally committed and most of all buzzing with confidence.

Warren Gatland’s focus on fitness has paid off and the Wales team is a force to be reckoned with.

What a turnaround.

We can now look forward to next week’s semi final against France with relish.