Wales' caretaker coach Rob Howley said plaudits as gallant losers were fine but his side still came up short in their heartbreak three-Test series against the Wallabies in Australia.
The Six Nations champions again failed to hold on to a late lead through a lack of composure and went down 20-19 in Saturday's final Test in Sydney to lose all three Tests to the Wallabies -- but by a total of only 11 points.
In Sydney Wales were 19-17 up with five minutes to go before Berrick Barnes landed a pressure penalty to squeak Australia home, a week after the tourists fell to a penalty after the final siren in the Melbourne second Test.
The young Welsh side earned plenty of admiration for taking the Wallabies -- ranked second in the world -- to the brink in all their three internationals but Howley was pragmatic about the outcome.
"It's 3-0, it's a whitewash and there's no hiding away from that," he said after Saturday's game.
"But there's a lot of good ingredients of what's happened over the last three weeks and they can be very proud of their efforts.
"We've been very close over the last two weeks and the one thing you need to do to gain respect is to win in Australia and we've come up short. It's one thing to get the taps on the back, (but) this Welsh team is better than that."
The Welsh, who won all their five matches in this year's Six Nations to take a third Grand Slam in eight years, have now lost five times to the Wallabies in the last eight months and have not won in Australia since 1969.
Many of Howley's side are expected to return to Australia next year with the British and Irish Lions, with Wales the leading northern hemisphere nation in the IRB world rankings at number four.
"I couldn't imagine why a lot of them would not be in the British and Irish Lions side," said Wallabies' fly-half Barnes.
"You look at their side and they're probably in a position we were a few years ago, a lot of young fellows playing 20 Tests and when they get up to 30-40 Tests, a bit more experience, it's going to help them, no doubt."
Australia coach Robbie Deans expects Wales to fully test the Wallabies and the All Blacks at home in November.
"Their capacity to play, their ability to play for 80 minutes, they have threats across the ground and they are capable of beating any side in the world," Deans said of the Welsh.
"I would say by the time we get over there at the end of the year they'll be refreshed and lying in wait not only for us but for the All Blacks as well. I think they have a great opportunity over there this year."
Deans pointed to his team's steely control at critical times as the difference in the series.
"Mainly the composure. The leadership group has done a great job and that's been evident at the death in each instance, so that stuff comes forward," he said.
Australian captain David Pocock praised the leadership of halves Will Genia and Barnes for getting the Wallabies home in each Test.
"I thought Berrick and Will did a great job directing us around the field in the last 10-15 minutes and those are the games you want to win," Pocock said.
"It was a real arm-wrestle and we managed to get ourselves into a winning position and then hold on in the end."
