THE weekend was all about euphoria, and rightly so. Wales did, after all, achieve their first victory in Cardiff over England for 12 years and their first against them anywhere for six years.

That really was a cause for celebration and, boy, did everyone let their hair down, or in the case of Gavin Henson allow his hair to stand bolt upright.

He is suddenly everyone's hero when there aren't any and haven't been for ages, and we'll see hundreds of young Hensons around the place now as they copy their new idol.

That's no bad thing either, for a new star, a new icon in that most passionate of all theatres, Welsh rugby, is long overdue.

Along with all the glory and hero worship expectations will rise accordingly.

Already there's talk of the final game against Ireland being a Grand Slam or title showdown in the Millennium Stadium on March 19.

The final game, I ask you.

First is the not inconsiderable matter of Italy to come in Rome on Saturday, then there's France in Paris and Scotland at Murrayfield, three away games on the trot.

So while the feelgood factor has returned to Welsh rugby, to life in Wales even, it would be a very dangerous path to tread to suddenly expect titles and crowns to follow.

Italy may be taken as a foregone conclusion, after all if Wales can beat England surely they can get the better of Italy who have been in the championship for just half-a-dozen years.

But Welsh fans should be warned. Italy is no foregone conclusion - you only have to look at the way they performed against favourites Ireland on Sunday, the way their pack got the better of the vaunted Irish eight.

Leando Castrogiovanni and Andrea Lo Cicero are a powerhouse pairing at prop while the back row trio Sergio Parisse, Aaron Persico and Mauro Bergamasco are as good as any in the championship.

Given that the Welsh pack didn't perform that well against England - their line-out went missing for much of the second half - it would be foolish to imagine Italy will just roll over.

They won't.

But it is a danger Wales coach Mike Ruddock is well aware of.

If anyone will dampen down expectations he is just the man to do it, he is absolutely certain to preach caution - not to imagine turning up at the Stadio Flaminio on the outskirts of Rome will be enough.

For if Wales do that they will lose, as simple as that.

And the squad would do well to remember that the last time Wales beat England in Cardiff they went on to lose every other game that season.

I wrote in this column a fortnight ago that Ruddock is just the man to take Wales to the next step, to turn that glorious failure into a positive result against a leading nation.

Everything he has done so far has been proved right, he presses all the proper buttons and he is, indeed, proving to be a man of his time, a Welsh coach at the helm at the right moment.

All the signs were there last season when he was in charge of Newport Gwent Dragons, the way he brought them on from being a disorganised bunch to a well moulded team challenging for top honours.

His attention to detail is enormous, his studying of the opposition, his examining of all the tapes is quite remarkable.

He leaves no stone unturned about the opposition and he is thorough virtually beyond belief, all of which is in complete contrast to his sucessor at the Dragons.

Given Ruddock's sure hand to guide the ship, it seems scarcely imaginable that Wales will underestimate Italy on Saturday.

The pack didn't fire on all cylinders against England, but they were up against a pretty formidable eight and the state of the pitch - the one blight on proceedings - mitigated against any sort of dominace so difficult was it to get a solid purchase on a surface that moved, as Wales hooker Mefin Davies put it.

They should again hold their own in Italy, maybe no more than that against a pretty uncompromising Italian pack, but that should be enough for the Welsh backs will surely prove too good.

Gavin Henson must now feel he can walk on water after his performance against England, and such is his self confidence that no-one and nothing will hold any fears for him now.

And Ruddock is giving him his head, unlike dour New Zealand predecessor Steve Hansen.

Shane Williams looks in the mood while there's no stopping the exuberant, sometimes over committed, skipper Gareth Thomas, all of which should prove too much for the Italians to bear.

Team confidence must be sky high now and it would be a massive shock if the Italians were to repeat their feat of two years ago when they beat Wales.

But caution must still be the key, even if such a word does not exist in Henson's vocabulary.