Winless and woeful - Wales' wooden spoon campaign

Controversial TikTok dances, record-breaking crowds, traffic chaos and fixture disruption surrounding Pope Francis' funeral – Wales' Six Nations campaign was very eventful off the pitch.

On it, well that was a different story as Wales once again ended their campaign in floods of tears and disappointment.

Sunday's loss to Italy saw them finish bottom of the table with the wooden spoon for the second year running.

It was also the first time in the championship that Wales suffered five straight defeats - not the sort of records they want to be breaking in their third year of professionalism.

Wales had gone into the tournament with renewed optimism, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) had a new head of women's rugby in Belinda Moore, there was no bitter contract dispute hanging over anyone's heads and players had been giving standout performances in the Premiership Women's Rugby (PWR).

Most significantly the Union had landed three-time PWR winner Sean Lynn as their new head coach, they even had their first ever defence coach with the temporary appointment of Dan Murphy.

It seemed everything was in place for Wales to succeed, they were ready to relive the highs of 2023 and cement their status as the 'best of the rest'.

But what followed were dismal performances, some of which Lynn himself described as "unacceptable".

Wales simply didn't show up, there were plenty of workhorses, but no weapons.

And anyone who thought family-oriented Lynn was a soft touch would be proven wrong as he fired a warning shot over selection.

He will be taking a look at pathway players before the summer tour of Australia and this summer's Rugby World Cup in England.

"We will be looking to change, we will be working hard in that pre-season," Lynn said.

"The work rate from everyone, how much extras we're doing because at the moment we're not skilful enough at international level."

Wales opened their tournament steadily enough, there were enough green shoots of promise not to be too disappointed in the 24-21 loss against Scotland, especially when considering Lynn only had three training sessions before players took to the pitch in Edinburgh.

The encouraging signs were the backline getting on the ball, something we rarely saw under Ioan Cunningham's reign when Wales were all about the power of the forwards.

But Wales' defence looked poor with 35 missed tackles.

It wasn't Georgia Evans finest moment either after receiving two yellow cards, but she would redeem herself as the tournament progressed, proving a powerhouse at number eight and ending as one of the top tacklers and carriers.

Grand Slam champions England followed as the Red Roses helped to draw a record crowd of over 21,186 at Principality Stadium.

Wales took an early lead and for 10 minutes we wondered if Wales could mark the 10-year anniversary of their last win over England with a repeat.

However, England proved way too strong as they ran in 11 tries in a 67-12 victory, with Wales narrowly spared a record loss.

Missed tackles were again a major concern, with another 30 to add to the tally.

Despite the scoreline, most Welsh players celebrated the occasion, including Jasmine Joyce-Butchers who came in for some social media stick when she joined England's Sarah Bern in a live post-match Tik Tok dance.

Some questioned her professionalism after such a humbling defeat while others said the women's game punches different and it's important to have personalities.

The tournament then had a fallow week, with Lynn gifted the luxury of time to prepare for another giant of the game in France.

But time became the enemy when it came to travelling out for the game in Brive.

Despite a lunchtime Saturday kick-off, the team didn't fly out until Friday. They left Bristol airport in the morning before taking a coach from Bordeaux to Brive, but a road accident and rush hour traffic meant they did not reach their hotel until late at night.

The delay saw Wales miss their stadium team run-through, with the players having 13 hours of travel in their legs.

It didn't show in the first half performance as Wales were heroic in defence and bagged a couple of tries for their efforts, but French scores either side of the half-time whistle proved decisive.

Still, Wales didn't leave France too disappointed, with the 42-12 scoreline not necessarily a reflection of their display.

While England and France were almost free passes, Ireland was a game that Wales were targeting.

It was an outing at Rodney Parade, which captain Hannah Jones reflected "wasn't really home" and would prefer Cardiff Arms Park to be their permanent base.

Despite taking an early lead through Carys Cox – one of a few bright sparks in this campaign – Wales were outclassed in every area of the pitch.

A usually reliable set-piece crumbled as they conceded 18 penalties and fell off another 28 tackles.

It prompted some tough love from Lynn in the review as he called on players to take a look at themselves heading into Sunday's finale.

Wales had an extra day to prepare for Italy due to Pope Francis' funeral being held on the Saturday, but it made little difference.

After a tight first half, it was alarming to see how easily they fell away as the Italians ran riot in a record 44-12 win over Wales.

The 2023 celebrations in Parma seem a long-distance memory, while Lynn looked crestfallen after his first campaign in Test rugby.

The post-match criticism didn't end with Lynn, former players also didn't hold back.

Former number eight Sioned Harries said it was "extremely disappointing".

"I'm frustrated watching them, I can't imagine how frustrated they (the players) are feeling," she said.

"I think individuals must look at themselves. Sean Lynn will have to have difficult and honest conversations.

"I ask the question, are some of the players good enough to be professional? These discussions must happen.”

Meanwhile former fly-half Elinor Snowsill said fans must show patience.

"Sean Lynn doesn't have a magic wand, he couldn't turn things around in one campaign," she said.

"This has given him the ammunition to make changes, but this is a long-term development plan.

"We just do not have enough depth, there is not enough competition for places.

"The second half was really tough to watch. It's a stark contrast to where Wales were two years ago."

And former captain Siwan Lillicrap said the Italy loss was a "dark day for Welsh rugby".

"Five consecutive losses in this Six Nations campaign. It's not the place this squad wants to be," she said.

"There are some tough days ahead and a lot of work to do ahead of the World Cup."

Wales' players and staff will have some time off before reporting back for pre-season in the first week of June.

They will then head down under to take on Australia in Brisbane on 26 July and again in Sydney a week later as part of their World Cup preparations.

Their tournament opener is once again against Scotland, on 23 August, so Wales have less than four months to transfer themselves from a wooden spoon side to World Cup hopefuls.

It's a tough ask, but Lynn is a man who doesn't like losing.

"I coached the university men (at Gloucester-Hartpury) and it was the third season where we went seven losses on the bounce, but we turned it around and came back and won the championship," he said.

"I have been there and in these adverse moments it's all about everyone pulling together.

"It hurts, it's hurts me massively, it hurts the players and the staff, but together we will put this right."