Australia full-back Israel Folau has challenged his side to learn from their defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup final.

The All Blacks became the first side to both retain the trophy and win it three times this evening as they ran out 34-17 winners in a thrilling final at Twickenham.

Folau admitted that the defeat had hurt his side, but believes that it will prove to be a valuable experience in the future.

When asked whether the Wallabies had plenty of positives to take from the tournament, Folau told Sports Mole: "Yeah, for sure.

"You learn a lot more when you lose a game, especially a final, and for the guys it's not a good feeling, but you've got to soak it all up, learn from this game and move on."

Folau also admitted that his side made too many errors to have won the match.