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Wales are 2021 Guinness Six Nations champions

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Wales have been crowned 2021 Guinness Six Nations champions after Scotland beat France in the final game of the Championship in Paris.

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.