Rugby World Cup: Wales outclassed but still plenty of 'calon'
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Wales' campaign ended in a 55-3 defeat to defending champions New Zealand
As Wales prepared to step out for their Rugby World Cup quarter-final, captain Hannah Jones told the players to "show some calon" - the Welsh word for heart.
That they certainly did, but not even the biggest of hearts was a match for the mighty Black Ferns.
Wales exited the tournament outclassed but certainly not downbeat.
"No regrets. We put our bodies on the line and the effort was outstanding," Jones said.
"It has definitely been a journey of growth. We have not been professional for long but in this short period we have done so much.
"We have just got to be proud of where we are at and there is more to come."
Head coach Ioan Cunningham also spoke of an overwhelming pride after the game.
"We asked them to empty everything they had, fill the jersey with everything they had, play for something that is inside of them, and I thought they did that.
"But we have got to take a lot of learnings from the better teams in the world and learn quickly.
"I would love to really push hard in the next few years and we would love to be in the semi-final in 2025.
"But first things first, we need to reflect on this tournament and prepare for the Six Nations."
Rugby World Cup: Wales out after heavy 55-3 New Zealand defeat
Wales' sole victory in the World Cup came against Six Nations rivals Scotland in the opening pool game, the sides destined for a draw until Keira Bevan's 84th minute penalty.
They then spent the majority of the tournament defending against better sides, with only glimpses of what they can do in attack.
Perhaps a more judgemental eye could be cast over Wales' campaign with the whole squad turning fully professional in the summer.
But one of the driving forces behind those contracts, the Welsh Rugby Union's performance director Nigel Walker, was happy with what he saw, having spent the past month out in New Zealand with the team.
"Given where the squad has come from, we are delighted with the progress," he said.
"Performance sport takes a while and you do not see results overnight. We have seen some pretty good results overnight but we are not where we want to be."
Alex Callender (centre) completed 62 tackles in the pool stages, the most of any other player
Walker admits one of the priorities is to plug the gap to the top four teams - with France, New Zealand, England and Canada all booking their places in the semi-finals as expected.
"You saw the power, the running angles, the distribution, the offloads of the Black Ferns, they are very good side... we know what the gap is, we have got to work really hard to close it," he said.
"We are in the next group which contains seven or eight teams and there is not a great deal between them."
Walker confirmed the Union will continue to invest in the women's programme, with professional contracts remaining, although the number is yet to be confirmed for 2023.
They are also looking to add depth to their talent pool, with all of Wales' players currently plying their trade across the border in England's Premier 15s.
"We are building a pathway, right from the time a young girl picks up a ball at seven or eight, right through until senior level," Walker said.
"We have established an under 20s team, an under 18s team, while we have got skills centres at under 12s, 14s and 16s. We are looking to establish development centres in north, east and west Wales."
He added that plans are also in the pipeline for a new competition, the details of which will be announced in the coming weeks.