By Country / Wales

The Welsh Rugby Union will investigate why police were called to an incident in Cardiff's city centre after Gavin Henson, Lee Byrne, Mike Phillips and Andy Powell went out drinking to celebrate the win over England.

Witnesses said a rowdy Henson, who sat out the game with a calf injury, had to be dragged out of two pubs after heated exchanges.

Henson must've been in some state as Phillips had to take the microphone in the Queen's Vaults pub and apologise for this behaviour.

Henson was branded a "disgrace" and "abusive" and a "clown" after fooling around and nicking pool cue's off locals. Nothing new there then.

It's about time isn't it? England playing as a team. Martin Johnson's been in charge for seven months now but at last there's some cohesion and pride back in the jersey.

It might have been one of those horrible credit-boosting defeats but at least there are signs of an identity.

The jury may now be split, if only until the trip to Croke Park, but by the time the court reconvenes in two weeks time, instead of berating the Red Rose for its lack of flowering, the belated show of conviction now offers up a glimmer of hope towards a brighter spring.

Records were expected to tumble and Wales - Grand Slammers elect - were supposed to illustrate the giant task on Martin Johnson's plate.

The Spanish inquisition shelved until the end of the tournament, a serious review into the indiscipline epidemic within camp-England is the chief priority.

Two more yellow cards brought the tally to 11 in eight games and if England persist in their quest of making life harder for themselves, stifled progression and hollow honourable victories is the best they can achieve.

As a player, Johnson always lived on the edge of the law, but his players must realise that without his unnerving stature to question every decision, good or bad, they are on a hiding to nothing.

Karma comes back to haunt you in strange ways, so Johnson must find a solution quick-sharp, or else the end-of-term reports will continue to spell unwanted naughty schoolboy blemishes.

Wales were clearly the better team and eight-points didn't really do them justice. It might've been different had Shane Williams and Gavin Henson been fit but in their absence, less fashionable names, Gethin Jenkins, Ian Gough and Adam Jones put in brutal shifts.

Man-of-the-match, Joe Worsley, pinpointed as the day's tackle bag, did just that, but ask Schalk Burger or Richie McCaw if a one-dimensional performance could suffice as a good day at the office? We doubt it.

Character was there in abundance. Mike Tindall and Riki Flutey flourished in the centres while Harry Ellis' re-acclimatisation to the rigors of international rugby is coming along nicely.

Despite outscoring Wales two-to-one, Warren Gatland reckons England have "regressed" since the autumn but if England's short-term future paints a picture of negativity in victory, then at least the marked improvements in Cardiff suggests a long-term plan is at least at the draft stage.

There's never any love lost when the English and Welsh cross swords. Wales hold a minor advantage over England, having 51 victories compared to England's 49, with 12 draws. Come Saturday evening, all past battles will be forgotten, except for the losers and their fond memories. Here's your pre-match beer banter sorted anyhow...