The finely-poised battle that had been widely predicted never materialised as the rampant Welsh made light work of a hugely disappointing Ireland outfit.

''This team draws its strength from the hard times it has been through together. They've shown tremendous character and spirit to get through those hard times,'' said Ruddock.

''The big thing for us is that we've shown no fear all season and now we've been rewarded by winning the Grand Slam.

''Today is all about the players - they're the ones who make the tackles, score the tries and put their bodies on the line. They deserve all the plaudits they get.''

Ruddock revealed last month's 24-18 victory over France was the result which gave him belief Wales could end their 27-year wait for a ninth tournament clean sweep.

''The France game was the defining moment for us. We had our backs against the walls and were playing the reigning champions,'' he said.

''We showed great character and played with skill to come back and get the win. After that I thought there's a chance that we will do the Grand Slam, although I didn't want to talk it up.''

''We should give credit to Ireland and the character they showed. They fought back and scored two tries. We couldn't rest until the final minute. They kept going until the final whistle.''

Wales skipper Michael Owen admitted his satisfaction that his side had not succumbed to the burden of expectation which accompanied their Grand Slam bid.

He said: ''This was a massive win for us and is reward for all the hard work we've put in over the last two or three years. There have been a lot of people involved in the process so it's great to have a day like today to celebrate.

''We knew it was a massive occasion. We just wanted to make sure we didn't let ourselves down. We saw all the fans on the way to the ground and knew it was going to be a special day.

''We were conscious of how the public were feeling but we felt the day was about us and how we stayed together as a team. That helped us through.''