England's faltering front row failed their audition for the Steve Walsh Show in the red-hot atmosphere of the Millennium Stadium.
Wales's trio of Gethin Jenkins, Richard Hibbard and Adam Jones used their greater experience to win the battle of the hits and to win the ear of referee Walsh.
Once a team start to get on top in one area, the referee, whether subconsciously or not, looks far more closely at the struggling team. The England front row of Joe Marler, Tom Youngs and Dan Cole failed to develop a relationship with Walsh and forgot what a very difficult man he is to be refereed by.
He wants to be seen by television viewers as the man in charge and it looked from an early stage that Wales had established a better rapport.
But let's take nothing away from Wales for dominating this crucial area, led by tight-head Jones.
He has finished the tournament as the Lions' No 1 ahead of his main rival, Cole. Jones was phenomenally good in splitting his opposing prop, Marler, away from Youngs, the England hooker, at scrums.
He also used his experience to push before the ball was put in, which is illegal. But he got away with it, despite England's protests, and he gave Wales the impetus.
Marler had a very difficult 44 minutes, but his replacement, Mako Vunipola, also struggled, conceding a penalty at his first scrum.
Job done: Jenkins (left) and Jones lift the Six Nations trophy after the matchOutshone: Opposing prop Jones won the battle against England's Joe Marler
This opened the way for Wales to dominate a crucial period of the second half. Before the match, it had been thought that Jenkins might struggle against Cole on the other side of the scrum.
But, with him alongside Jones and Hibbard, Wales looked well balanced and structured. They had also learned how to win the front-row battle by analysing the problems that England had against France.
Wales had the collective power to drive under and across England, starting with Jenkins, while Jones' strength forced Marler and Vunipola to collapse or 'pop up'.
By winning over Walsh, Wales were able to dictate how the front rows lined up at the start of scrums. This cancel led out England' s attempts to rectify their problems and their body language made them appear frustrated and confused at Walsh's demands.
Well beaten: England were dominated by the Wales forwards in the scrumThe scrum was a sub-plot to a contest in which England were well beaten.
They failed to handle the pressure of the occasion and looked overhyped compared to the more concentrated performances earlier in the tournament.
The only crumb of comfort for England is that teams learn far more from the scars of defeat than they do from easy wins.
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