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If there's one thing the Rugby World Cup has taught us, it is that as a coach or manager you can make all the rules you like, but in the end it comes down to the players. If they choose to ignore them you've not got a prayer. It's why Martin Johnson is arriving home as a failure today and Warren Gatland is still in Auckland being feted as a genius.

Jonno set a code of conduct for his England players and believed he could trust them to behave like men. He thought it was fine for their wives and girlfriends to keep them company, and for the single lads to be able to enjoy an occasional night out and a drink. He had meetings to talk about standards of behaviour. And in the end half his side didn't take a blind bit of notice, and some of the married boys went out and got plastered too.

Meanwhile, Gatland set out the same sort of code. Wales also have some of their WAGS around with them, and have a rulebook imposed by the management which says they can have a glass of wine or two if they choose. Their coach has also told them he trusts them to behave.

The difference has become all too clear. Some of England's players set up an escape committee and used the licence to have a good time. They went out in the time honoured traditions of rugby tours believing that "boys will be boys". Somewhere along the way the focus of trying to win a World Cup got lost.

Wales have their own teetotal policy imposed not by their management but by their younger players, led by skipper Sam Warburton. He started a "dry board" with the names of those who have not touched a drop of alcohol since their camp began. Even a glass of wine with the missus means your name falls off and goes on the "wet board". But here we are with the semi-finals approaching some seven weeks after the squad met up, and more than half of them still have their names on the skipper's alcohol free list.

Veteran prop Adam Jones who, along with Gethin Jenkins, will provide the key experience in the pack for Saturday's clash with France, is still on the dry run. "Hardly any of the boys drink," he's revealed. "You have these young boys who are so fit and so professional. People like myself have to keep up with them otherwise you fall by the wayside."

That fitness showed in the last stages of the quarter-final win over Ireland and could be a key factor again this week against France. I suggested backing Wales to reach the semis at 2.54 back on September 20, and there are a lot of other honorary "Taffies" getting on the bandwagon now. Since England's failure, Gatland's side have become 1.84 favourites to beat France on Saturday morning.

But with some profit to play with the value now is to back them at 7.0 to go all the way and lift the trophy. The combination of flair from their backs, proven scoring ability of wing wizard Shane Williams and commitment from the whole team has got what it takes. If it doesn't happen you'll have lost your money because they weren't quite good enough, and not because they were too busy having a party.

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