Hadleigh Parkes hailed Wales’ team ethic after they overcame Ireland with a remarkable defensive display to capture the Grand Slam and Guinness Six Nations title.
The centre was in the thick of the action against the defending champions at the Principality Stadium, scoring the opening try with less than two minutes on the clock.
He then produced a stunning try-saving tackle down the other end of the pitch moments later to deny Jacob Stockdale as the Ireland winger closed in on the whitewash.
It was part of a ruthless rearguard action from the hosts, who only conceded seven points to Ireland, and Parkes said that the performance and victory was incredibly special.
“They certainly are [the days that dreams are made of],” said Parkes. “Alun Wyn Jones spoke about it during the week and these two home games; the crowd has been amazing.
“The support we’ve been getting from home has been amazing, so we’re really enjoying ourselves and for the boys to do it like that is amazing.
“It’s a great bunch of boys. We’re all going out there and training really hard. Everyone gets on well and there is no cliques. Everyone is good mates.
“Everyone wants to work hard for each other and you can see that in the defence when everyone puts their bodies on the line. It was awesome and we managed to score some points as well.”
Parkes’ try came after just 70 seconds when, with a penalty advantage, Gareth Anscombe chipped a perfect kick over the Ireland defence for him to run on to and score.
And Parkes said Wales could not have wished for a better start – as the hosts raced into a commanding 16-0 lead at the half-time break in Cardiff.
“It was nice that Chicken [Gareth Anscombe] put it there nicely for me,” he said. “We had a penalty advantage, so it was a shot to nothing and it came off for us.
“It was a great way to get the game off to a good start. I’m sure the streets of Cardiff will be loving it and all the streets around Wales.
“We’ll enjoy the celebrations for a while. They’ll be awesome.”
