Former captain Ryan Jones believes that Wales's performance at the World Cup has put the team "back on the rugby map".
Warren Gatland's side finished the tournament in fourth position, having lost to Australia in yesterday's bronze play-off match.
Despite yesterday's defeat, Jones has insisted that the squad can be "proud" of their achievements in New Zealand.
"We thought we could beat Australia and do something special," back-row forward Jones said. "We really wanted to finish with a medal.
"We hoped to leave with the third-place medal, but it has been a good tournament and we put Wales back on the rugby map.
"We came here with [some] players who we didn't know if they could play at this level, but we can be proud of what we have done."
Jones, 30, has made 57 appearances for Wales.