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 managed one win in the 2023 Six Nations where players threatened to strike over contractual issues.
It was grim. Gatland galvanised the squad with tough training camps in Switzerland and Turkey and predicted Wales would “surprise people” and achieve “something special” at this World Cup.
In some ways, he was proved correct on both counts. They surprised many by winning their pool with victories over Fiji, Portugal, Australia and Georgia, as Gatland guided Wales to a fourth successive World Cup quarter-final under him and the record 40-6 win over the woeful Wallabies in Lyon was certainly special.
Those achievements created hope and even expectation of a semi-final spot which they could not quite deliver.
Gatland turned 60 during the tournament but has stated he wishes to take the team towards the 2027 World Cup after helping restore pride in the Wales squad.
“I’m incredibly proud of the work these players and whole staff have put in, they’ve been absolutely fantastic,” said Gatland.
“We’ve made some good strides. We need to continue on that path. We don’t want to be going backwards. That’s a challenge for us to accept and make sure we continue improving.
“There were a lot of people writing us off before this tournament, saying we wouldn’t get out of our group.
“That was the first thing, to ensure we’d done that. This group of players have worked incredibly hard to get what they’ve achieved.
“The players should hold their heads up and be proud, but we’ve got to make sure we continue to grow as a team.”
Nobody should underestimate the despair those Wales players felt after the defeat by the Pumas as co-captain Dewi Lake summed up the mood.
“Emotions go up and down but it’s tough to take,” said the hooker.
“We will learn from this and a lot of boys are at their first World Cup.
“You don’t learn a lot from winning constantly. Learning comes from losing games and seeing where you can get better and where you went wrong.
“These are the type of games that build character. A loss in a World Cup quarter-final with tears streaming down your face afterwards, that’s a feeling you never want again. We will kick on from here.”
