Wales!

The last we heard from the Welsh Rugby Team was in October, when they were being cheated in the Semi-Finals of the Rugby World Cup. What should have been an easy win over France and a trip to the title game was, thanks to a horrible officiating decision, turned into a one-point defeat.

But Wales, being Wales, did not give up. Instead, they came home and concentrated on powering their way through the Six Nations, a competition of the six major rugby-playing nations in Europe: England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, and Italy.

Wales started with a difficult road game in Ireland, where they pulled out a hard-fought 23-21 victory. Then they came home and pounded Scotland 27-13. Then they picked up a rare win in England, beating the English 19-12. Then they had an easy time at home, beating Italy 24-3.

That left France, who had ground out a record of 2-1-1: they lost to England by two points and tied Ireland. Wales were favored, but France had one card left to play. They refused to allow Wales to close the retractable roof at their stadium, meaning that the game would feature a sloppy field. This was to France's advantage, as they were hoping to slow down the superior Welsh attack.

But it wasn't enough. Wales showed their mettle with a 16-9 victory over France. As a result, Wales have not merely won the Six Nations; they have scored a "Grand Slam" -- as it's called when England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, or France beat all four of the others in the same year. It is Wales's third Grand Slam in the last eight years -- they also turned the trick in 2005 and 2008 -- and marks this as a Golden Age of Welsh Rugby.

Here are the final standings for this year's Six Nations:

1. Wales: 5-0-0 (10 points)
2. England: 4-1-0 (8 points)
3. Ireland: 2-2-1 (5 points) (point difference of 27)
4. France: 2-2-1 (5 points) (point difference of 15)
5. Italy: 1-4-0 (2 points)
6. Scotland: 0-5-0 (0 points)