The dream may have been shattered in a heavy defeat but when the dust settles, the Irish women's rugby team will take in the fact that their 2014 World Cup achievement will resonate positively for some time to come.
The team exited at the semi-final stage today after a 40 - 7 loss to England, but the journey in France has seen them defeat the best team in women's world rugby in New Zealand and reach a first ever last four place.
In the wake of today's defeat, Off The Ball spoke to back's coach Greg McWilliams and he put the match and tournament into perspective.
"Without a shadow of a doubt, the girls are very disappointed. But sometimes your actions in defeat are more important than the actions when you win," he said.
"Coming out here, if you told us that we'd reach a semi-final against England, in front of a big crowd, it would have been dreamland stuff. So we've gone past our expectations and the support home has been fantastic."
In terms of the wider legacy, McWilliams hopes that the success of the team and the interest it has generated will boost the women's game in this country and increase participation rates.
Although he admits that England's programme remains ahead of Ireland, he highlighted the fact that Ireland have been closing the gap over the past five years.
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