Wales hero Dan Lydiate can no longer escape limelight following Six Nations Grand Slam-winning tackle Wales's defence coach, Shaun Edwards, commenting on Lydiate's man-of-the-match award, just shrugged: "If it was up to me, he'd be man of the match in every game. His attitude, his physical prowess - he's a big man, as heavy as some props - his pace and his tackling ability are second to none. He's also a joy to coach and the kind of lovely lad you'd be proud to have as your son. Edwards reckoned Lydiate reminded him of his club days coaching Joe Worsley. Two very special No 6s. I was lucky to share a lot of silverware with Joe during the glory years at Wasps and hopefully this is just the first for me and Dan. That will be music to Welsh ears. Edwards's organisational prowess is aided formidably by this tackling machine who at 24 is, like captain Sam Warburton (23) and Toby Faletau (21), probably not even in his prime. Warburton may previously have hogged the rave reviews but he has never been fooled about who glues the Welsh pack. If you ask anybody in our squad who the three most important players are, I think Dan would come up a lot. He's the unsung hero who makes life easier for players like me and Gethin [Jenkins] who compete on the ball, because it allows us to get in on top when he goes low. Low and fearlessly, too. Watching the farmer's lad lay his body on the line like this, it almost strains credulity to think that four years ago as a teenager, he broke his neck, ruptured every ligament in it and suffered a crushed disc during a Heineken Cup match in Perpignan, which necessitated an air ambulance to fly him back to Wales. "When things like that happen, you are happy to just walk again, never mind play," Lydiate said. At first, on his return after a year's absence, he was tentative in the tackle; now he looks almost recklessly brave. But then that is the sort of spirit which separates the champions from the contenders. Lydiate, with a nod towards the late, great Mervyn Davies, said Wales had done it "for Merv" on Saturday and the old colossus would surely have appreciated the compliment from a player made of the same sterling stuff.