Inside Stade de France, the tournament that — at times — never seemed like it would come to an end finally reached a conclusion.
Not with farcical scenes and Welsh despair, as had been the case for much of the tournament, but rather perhaps a rare sign of hope.
As Wales crossed for their fourth try, albeit in defeat, the realisation that it was finally over washed over the players. Those in red embraced each other, appreciative of the hard work they had put in for each other.
As groups of players and backroom staff posed for photos out on the turf, captain Ken Owens called everyone associated with the team - playing group and beyond - into one last huddle.
When it came to calling time on that huddle, Owens, having picked Justin Tipuric last week, called upon head of physical performance, Paul 'Bobby' Stridgeon to sign off the gathering. Caught on the hop, he just threw one arm in the air, then the other, with the squad duly parroting the act.
To say this Six Nations, with four defeats and the threat of strike action, has been a tumultuous one would be an understatement. To end it on a positive, of sorts, was testament to the efforts of the 23 in red, and the wider squad.
On the streets outside Paris, mountains of bin bags rose high, exposing the Parisian streets to a pungent, overwhelming odour worthy of a wince. The result of a strike.
Welsh rugby never quite got so close to strike action, but there's a metaphor in there somewhere as the problems mount up like weeks-old rubbish.
At times, in Paris, Wales seemed to rotate between a variety of different guises.
Sometimes, like when Louis Rees-Zammit threw his arms down in frustration after failing to charge down a Thomas Ramos conversion from the touchline, it was annoyance at the situation they were in.
Similar gesticulations were made when Tomas Francis and Wyn Jones couldn't fathom why they hadn't won a scrum penalty just before half-time despite marching through the French pack. Walking down towards the tunnel, Jones in particular couldn't hide his agitation with referee Nic Berry.
Sometimes, there were mere bit-parts in a bigger show, supporting players to the main cast of France's title charge. Such was the desire to be present in Stade de France, half of the press box seemed to be reserved for more French supporters.
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The notion of writing about rugby on a laptop seemed alien to them. Instead, they were here to watch France's title bid and nothing else.
Every quiet moment was greeted with 'Allez Les Bleus'. Every minor Welsh infringement was met with a litany of French swear words one can just about remember from flicking through the dictionary in year 8 French lessons.
If they were journalists, you would imagine impartiality isn't such an issue here that there would be a collective walkout on the French version of Match of the Day.
But if they were here to watch France, then so too, at times, were Wales. When Antoine Dupont did only what Antoine Dupont can do to undermine Wales' early try with an immediate, almost casual, response, Alun Wyn Jones just stood there, hands on his hips, looking to the posts where France had just crossed.
Sometimes, it felt like a farewell tour. After Warren Gatland spoke of this potentially being the last Six Nations match for more than a few, each interaction carried a little more weight.
When skipper Owens and Alun Wyn Jones departed early on in the second half, it certainly felt like the last time both would feature in the tournament. As they reached the dugout, Owens turned to take one last look at the playing surface before shaking hands with Jones.
From then on, it was all Owens — fresh from a busy week which had seen him head back to Wales to become a father again — could do not to keep still. One minute, he was on the recovery bike, handing out instructions to the replacements. The next, he was stood up in typical Owens posture, arms flitting between crossed or on his hips in a wide stance.
But, of all their different states, it was the quiet determination to work for one another that was the most pleasing. When France scored late on to move past the 40-point mark, Tipuric dragged Adam Beard up by his jersey from the deck, ready to go again.
George North and Josh Adams got into a spirited debate about some of the finer points of Wales' tactics in that last set, both pointing to different parts of the pitch and making different gestures. At the end of the conversation, they gave each other a low-key high five, ready to go again.
They do go again, finishing with a try for Rio Dyer. Even as it becomes apparent the game is over, North and Nick Tompkins trade details over Wales' execution of certain moments.
On the sideline, team manager Martyn Williams talks to Owens before giving him a pat on the back. The two sides go on with the usual post-match pleasantries — a swapped jersey here, a hug there — before naturally the two sides once again part into two distinct groups.
All that's left is Owens and French hooker Julien Marchand, arm in arm, talking to one another.
Once that's done, Owens breaks off, heading back to his team-mates, calling them all in for that extended huddle. Afterwards, he insisted that Wales would raise eyebrows at the World Cup after more hard work went on throughout the year.
Wales are still a long way off the pace when it comes to the tangibles of the game, as Gatland admitted last week, but perhaps the intangibles are there.
At the end of a tournament which seemed destined never to end, there wasn't relief it was over. Instead, despite how torrid it often was, it felt like there perhaps was the desire to go again.
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