Wales ended a long Six Nations campaign with another defeat, this time against in-form France.
Despite the defeat in Paris, there were some positives in an attacking performance which saw Wales cross for four tries, even if they coughed up points a little too easily.
Here's what Wales head coach Warren Gatland had to say in his post-match press conference following Wales' final competitive game before the World Cup:
Warren, how do you assess that performance?
Warren Gatland: "I thought we showed some real character. We started the game well and were really positive in the way we played. What has been hurting us in our game is a few inaccuracies. We have worked hard for our tries and probably gave them a couple of soft tries.
"I was pleased with our performance because it was a game that could have got away from us significantly but the boys dug in and I thought the impact from the bench was excellent. I have been a little bit critical of that in the last few games. We have definitely showed improvement in this tournament.
"There was lots of improvement in this performance but we are not quite there yet and we have a lot of work to do and I am confident with the work we will do over the next few months leading to the World Cup this group of players will get a lot better."
Was there a call to change the approach, to be more attacking and expansive?
"I don't think there has been any difference in the messages that we have been giving to the players: making the right decisions being brave. We probably expected France to kick a lot more today and they didn't do that so that allowed us to take the opportunities to play a bit more.
"I thought particularly in the second half when we got back into the game and we scored it could have been interesting in the last 10 minutes. Some of the variation in the second half in terns of our game management was much better. We put a few little kicks in behind and varied it nicely. I was pleased with the ambition of what the players were trying to achieve."
Was it a performance you can build on going towards the World Cup?
"Absolutely. I said to the players in the changing room afterwards I was proud of them. I thought they showed some real character in that game and we as a group have been pretty honest.
"We know there is lots of work to do. We will surprise some teams in the World Cup by how good we will be and how much we will improve having that time together to prepare.
"We are taking steps in the right direction during this campaign but we have a lot of work to do.
"We have developed some youngsters who will learn from these experiences and we will review stuff and what are the things we need to keep working on [are] to not allow some of those soft tries we did concede. Those are the sort of things we will improve on over the next few months and tighten up in that area."
The fans' Wales Six Nations verdict: Have your say
Are you any nearer to knowing what your best XV is?
"That'll change over the next few months. I said right from the start that was going to happen, that we'd give youngsters an opportunity.
"We knew we had older, experienced players who we knew what they could do and we had someone like Rhys Webb who has come back out of the wilderness and given us food for thought. Tomos Williams was great today.
"We've got a few guys who are injured as well who hopefully, in the next few weeks, come back in and put their hands up ahead of the wider World Cup squad."
Do you believe you are heading in the right direction ahead of the World Cup?
"I think it was a very short preparation time in terms of meeting with the players, a lot of new players, and trying to find out where we were as a squad. We realised from the start there's a reasonable amount of work to do in a lot of areas.
"We tried to prioritise some of those and focus on some of those. We're disappointed because there's games there that we will be good enough to win, but we're not there yet.
"We'll continue to do that. We showed some progression in this tournament, which is the most pleasing thing, and today against a team that when they get on top of you, they can really punish you. a bit like the All Blacks.
"The boys didn't capitulate. They showed some heart and character. That's what we're looking for as a starting point. I think there's some real positives to take out of it building forward."
Have you an idea of what your World Cup squad will look like, with players coming back from injury and some more eligible after the new WRU 25-cap rule?
"Those things will evolve. You don't pigeon-hole yourself into making those decisions now.
"It is important that everyone gets an opportunity, there are players coming back from injury, we haven't spoken to anyone else who might be eligible with the change of the eligibility rules, and there will no doubt be some bolters who put up their hand with the way they potentially train in the camps. There will be some live scenario stuff.
"You go in with an open mind and not wanting to make those decisions too early. I am miles away from thinking what a 33 is going to be at the moment."
Do you feel that the contract dispute is now behind you after the announcement that standard contracts can be offered?
"There is no doubt it has been quite significant during this campaign, the stuff that was going on behind the scenes. The boys were brilliant in the way they handled it, but when a player in contract is offered 20 per cent of what they are currently on, it is pretty challenging.
"Everyone gets to hear about those things. Then other players with no contracts at all. We had the other stuff at the start of the campaign as well going on with the union in terms of the allegations and things. It has been testing and challenging, but the boys have worked through that."
Finally, do you have a special word on Taulupe Faletau's achievement and what that meant?
"It was an incredibly special moment last night when we celebrated Taulupe Faletau's 100th [Wales cap]. We had a video set up with lots of messages from people he had grown up with and played with.
"We had his mum and dad there, his wife Charlotte and kids and aunt and sister. It was pretty emotional.
"As a group, we are getting back to where we want to get in terms of getting closer and putting some of those differences behind us. Everyone doesn't have to like each other, but you want to have respect."
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