STEPHEN Moore praised head coach Michael Cheika for restoring pride in the Wallaby jersey.

The losing captain has led a re-galvanised Australian team and his scrum has shone under the tutelage of Argentinean Mario Ledesma.

Flanked by Scott Sio and Sekope Kepu, the skipper has garnered praise in the tight throughout the tournament only for the scrum to be dissected by the All Blacks in the final.

The Australian lineout - led by Moore, Kane Douglas and Rob Simmons - has been one of the Wallabies' only faults in the tournament, but the way in which the team has carried itself has been the most impressive quality.

"I think that's been spoken about a lot not just in the tournament but since this group has come together under Michael Cheika," said the hooker.

"Making sure that we understand what it means to play for Australia, pull the jersey on and I guess whatever you do on the field is a consequence of that.

"In the final we just weren't good enough - that was it.

"All that other stuff we'll sit back when we get home [and appreciate it], but the support from back home has just been fantastic.

"We would've loved to have delivered in the final but that's the way it goes."

He watched from the bench as his side slid to a 34-17 loss after battling back to 21-17 in the second half and would not be drawn on whether or not they had just lost to the best team every to have played the game.

He said: "I'm not a big rugby historian, but I've played against these guys a lot and every time we play against them it's tough - I know that much.

"I guess we get to play them a lot and every single time - the final being no different - it's as tough as it gets.

"They're a great credit to their team and they've done a lot in their time in the jersey and they fully deserve what they get today."