Warren Gatland had said his Wales squad were not ready to go home from France.
Unfortunately for the Wales head coach and his players, that is exactly what will happen on Monday when they pack up at their Toulon base after they were knocked out of the World Cup quarter-finals by Argentina in Marseille.
It will be the Pumas that head to Paris to face New Zealand on Friday in the first semi-final, while Wales fans work out how to return home rather than spend two more weeks in the French capital.
We arrived in France at the beginning of September wondering how long Wales would remain in the country.
Wales fly-half Dan Biggar – who will now retire from Test rugby – wowing the locals by speaking fluent French at the welcome ceremony in Versailles seems a lifetime ago.
The trip was longer than many feared but in the space of a couple of hours on a remarkable October evening, the journey was brought to a shuddering halt.
Wales will reflect on what might have been, with Gatland saying his side missed an opportunity to reach a third World Cup semi-final in four tournaments.
This quarter-final exit will rankle because Wales had opportunities to defeat the Pumas, even if a semi-final against New Zealand – conquerors of Ireland, who will have their own regrets – might have been a step too far.
The loss signalled an end to Wales’ own tour de France with the six-week magical mystery trip taking in Bordeaux, Nice, Lyon and Nantes before the marvellous Marseille night for Argentina, who were cheered on by their passionate fans.
So what progress has been made and what does the future holds for Wales and Gatland?
Gatland effect
It is worth remembering Wales were ranked 10th in the world before this tournament started. Gatland returned for his second stint as head coach when he replaced Wayne Pivac in December 2022, but only…
Read the full article here
