From the back pages, March 17: Wales humiliate England to claim Six Nations title

There were chants of “easy, easy” long before the end, but this win, and Wales’s retention of the Six Nations Championship was about so much more than schadenfreude at a horribly outclassed England’s failure to capture the Grand Slam. Had it not been for a shambolic first half here against Ireland on the opening weekend of this Championship, Wales might have been celebrating a fourth Grand Slam in nine years, beyond anything achieved by the great teams of the 1970s. (The Independent)
Wales Alex Cuthbert goes over for the first try of the match during the RBS Six Nations match at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Photo credit: David Davies/PA Wire.Wales Alex Cuthbert goes over for the first try of the match during the RBS Six Nations match at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Photo credit: David Davies/PA Wire.
Wales Alex Cuthbert goes over for the first try of the match during the RBS Six Nations match at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Photo credit: David Davies/PA Wire.

James Anderson, thought to be nursing both a sore back and a sore heel and clearly not firing on all cylinders, nevertheless provided England with their only success on a fourth morning which was spent with one eye on the skies around a largely subdued Basin Reserve. (The Times)

Manchester United knew what was required. After Manchester City went down at Everton, win against rudderless Reading and their advantage would be 15 points and this would be the scene for a de facto coronation of their 20th title. (The Guardian)

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Roberto Mancini went into hiding after 10-man Everton put the boot into his fading title dreams.

The Manchester City chief was fuming at being denied a late penalty, even though Marouane Fellaini was deep in the area when he handled a Carlos Tevez drive. (The Sun)

John Terry will be offered a lucrative chance to end his career in the Middle East. A number of clubs in the United Arab Emirates have been alerted to the uncertainty over Terry’s Chelsea future. (The Mirror)

Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen stormed to victory in the Australian Grand Prix in his best race on the Melbourne circuit for six years. Fernando Alonso came in second while Lewis Hamilton finished fifth in his first race for Mercedes. Jenson Button finished a disappointing ninth for McLaren. (Daily Mail)

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A torrid Six Nations for Ireland ended in trademark fashion when they had three players yellow carded, including Brian O’Driscoll, in a snarling game against a highly physical Italian side who won much more comfortably than the scoreline suggests. (The Telegraph)