Aaron Wainwright believes the future is bright for Wales after they finally ended a long wait to win a Six Nations match by beating Italy in their 2026 tournament finale in Cardiff.
Saturday's 31-17 victory at the Millennium Stadium ended a 15-game losing streak in the Championship stretching back to March 2023.
It was only Wales's third win in 28 tests – the other two were against Japan – and was a morale-boosting success ahead of the inaugural Nations Championship.
Wales begin that tournament against Fiji at the Cardiff City Stadium, home of the capital's professional football club, on July 4, before facing the daunting task of away matches against Argentina and world champions South Africa on successive weekends.
The Welsh were in dire straits when thrashed by both England (48-7) and France (54-12) in the opening two rounds of this year's Six Nations.
But they were much improved in defeats by Scotland (26-23) and Ireland (27-17) before Leicester-bound back-row forward Wainwright scored two tries on Saturday to be named player-of-the-match against Italy – a game where the Welsh surged into a 31-0 lead.
"We started the campaign against England, and the first 20 minutes we were incredibly poor with our discipline, and the accuracy wasn't there," said Wainwright.
"How we've grown throughout the tournament could really set us up for when we come into the next campaign.
"Steve (Tandy, the Wales coach) is really big on his care and connection and making sure we're all aligned with what we want to achieve when we're not in camp.
"So if we get that right over the next couple of months coming into summer tours, we can really hit the ground running."
The 28-year-old added: "Given the circumstances of where we are as a country, in terms of our past results and performances, it's great to get the win and end the campaign on a high.
"But if we are being realistic about it, we probably should have had more wins from the campaign."
This Six Nations took place against a backdrop of bitter infighting for the professional game in Wales sparked by the Welsh Rugby Union's controversial plan to cut the number of men's teams from four to three.
Swansea Council has initiated legal action over the feared threat to the Ospreys' existence, and an extraordinary general meeting has been called by at least 50 clubs asking for a vote of no confidence in WRU chairman Richard Collier-Keywood.
The EGM is set to take place next month, but the WRU are adamant there is no realistic alternative to their proposals.
"Economically we can't support four teams at the same level as teams in the (English) Prem or elsewhere," WRU director of rugby and elite performance Dave Reddin told the BBC on Saturday.
"That means the resources, the coaching, the medical staff, have to be at a higher level if we are going to support this (playing) talent."