It is the first time any senior Wales team – men or women – have gone to a World Cup and failed to win a single game.
Former Wales captain Ken Owens and ex-international referee Hugh Watkins have both criticised the performance and questioned the Welsh Rugby Union’s management of the women’s game.
Watkins singled out with Belinda Moore, the WRU’s head of women’s rugby, and claimed she needs to be held accounatble.
In an interview before the final game, Moore claimed: “You definitely can’t say they have failed.”
Wales’ campaign ended with a narrow 28-25 defeat to Fiji in Exeter, a match in which they showed spirit but not enough precision.
Ioan Cunningham, who coached Wales until he was dismissed last year, masterminded the Fijiana’s first win of the tournament against his old team.
Owens did not hold back in his assessment.
The former Lions hooker told the BBC, “From a growth point of view, there's more fans here and all the rest of it.
“But from a performance point of view, I don't know what the WRU's expectations of this women's team was coming into this tournament.
“Perhaps they do think this is successful. But four years ago at the World Cup the women's team got to a quarter-final.
“So for me, as a Welsh person, a quarter-final is a minimum standard.
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“If that's the expectation of the WRU - to go out in group stages - then, it's a sad state of affairs.
“There have been positives, but as a nation and as a proud Welshman, a quarter-final was a minimum for me.
“From a performance point of view, it hasn’t been successful.”
With 15,000 inside a sold-out Sandy Park, Wales actually struck inside 90 seconds through Carys Cox, but Fiji hit back with four first-half tries from Josifini Neihamu, Setaita Railumu and Repeka Tove, all converted by Litiana Vueti.
Wales responded through Alex Callender and Sisi Tuipulotu to keep in touch at the break.
The second half was just as frantic.
Kayleigh Powell stepped through for a Welsh try before Cox was denied a second score by the TMO.
Later, Lisa Neumann crossed to cut the deficit to three points, but a missed touchline conversion from Lleucu George left Wales chasing the game.
In the dying moments, they opted against kicking for a draw and instead ran at the Fijian line.
Turnovers and a final scrum halted them short.
That left Wales bottom of Pool B with three defeats from three – 38-8 to Scotland, 42-0 to Canada, and now Fiji.
Despite scoring five tries across the tournament, defensive lapses and set-piece struggles proved decisive.
Watkins argued the issues go beyond missed tackles and blunt attacaking play, pointing the finger at decision-making before the tournament.
“Belinda Moore needs to be held accountable for this debacle," he posted on X.
“They go to Australia three weeks before a World Cup in England.
“Not blaming it totally on this, but travelling to the other side of the world for a World Cup prep that’s only 150 miles away from home. It’s a shambles.”
Sending the squad to Australia for a two-Test tour, weeks before a World Cup hosted just across the border in England certainly raised eyebrows, particularly given the side’s fragile form under head coach Sean Lynn, who has now overseen just one victory in nine matches.
The contrast with four years ago – when Wales reached the quarter-finals – has heightened frustrations.
This time, they went out at the pool stage, having conceded more than 100 points in three games.
