But this Welsh side won their third Grand Slam in eight years last week - which places them ahead of the great Welsh side of the 1970s.
Grand Slams aren't necessarily an indication of greatness. The Welsh team that won the 2005 Grand Slam was hammered 41-3 by the All Blacks in November that year and the 2008 side were put away 29-9 by New Zealand.
There's more to the current crew, however. A mental resilience and belief that was beginning to emerge during the World Cup has blossomed during the Six Nations. Wales beat Ireland with a last minute penalty; they broke free from England in the 76th minute and were tested in the extreme by the French on the final day.
Have they learned the art of finishing tight games? They didn't have that same depth of character at the World Cup. They had to dig deep to see off Samoa in a thriller and showed composure to beat Ireland in the quarter-final. But they lost to South Africa by a point in pool play after a late drop goal then a late penalty went wide; they also lost by a point in the semifinal which they still should have won, even down to 14 men for most of the game.
Welsh coach Warren Gatland will reserve judgement until later this year when the Southern Hemisphere teams arrive with their jackboots on, ready to stomp on anything that moves. It's all lovely to beat the Celts, Italians, England and France but the real kudos only flow when victories are secured against the top table nations - Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.
"Our big aim is to be consistent in beating the Southern Hemisphere sides," Gatland said after the final whistle had blown against France. "We have a young enough side that, over the next few years, hopefully we can do that. We have been down in games during this tournament and we have learnt how to win ugly and in the past that may not have happened."
That Gatland is still at the helm is a story of remarkable resilience and belief in itself. Following his immediate success in 2008, Gatland came perilously close to grounding Wales on the rocks. He began to rebuild his team, introducing youngsters such as Leigh Halfpenny, George North and Dan Lydiate.
Results were hard to come by and, when Wales drew with Fiji in November 2010, Gatland was only just clinging on to his job. He was close to accepting the Chiefs job in October 2010 but for the fact he wanted considerably more money than they could afford.
The appearance of a predator was enough to scare the Welsh Rugby Union into offering Gatland a five-year extension which he signed shortly before playing Fiji. The result was bad - worse was the perceived way in which Gatland dropped captain Ryan Jones afterwards and, for the week leading into the 2010 encounter with the All Blacks on November 27, Gatland was ashen-faced and quiet.
His masterplan has come to fruition. Sam Warburton, not the man who replaced Jones at the time, has become a seriously good player and captain at just 23. The Welsh now have a set piece that can compete with the best; they are fit enough to go for 80 minutes and they have forwards like Lydiate, Alun-Wyn Jones and Gethin Jenkins who can play with the ball.
Mike Phillips is, alongside Will Genia, the best halfback in world rugby and Rhys Priestland is developing into one of the best first fives they have had since Jonathan Davies. Jamie Roberts is their equivalent of Ma'a Nonu and North may be the best wing to have come out of the Northern Hemisphere.
Young and vibrant out wide, mobile and rugged in the pack with experience where it is needed - watch out New Zealand, Wales are on the way up.
