England clinched the Triple Crown on Saturday with their 34-13 Five Nations victory over Wales but it was one of their supporters, an anonymous woman, who scooped the big prize with a world record bet.

The woman staked a total of £154,780 in separate bets on England beating Scotland, Ireland and Wales. They were odds-on favourites to win each game but still came away with a profit of over £31,000.

"It might seem foolhardy to risk £150,000 to win £30,000 but that represents a 20 per cent tax-free profit over the space of a few weeks - a rate that any financial institution would find hard to match," said Graham Sharpe, spokesman for the betting chain which took the bet.