Australian rugby is in a very strong position with a healthy future after the Rugby World Cup. We now have a larger number of players who have gained vital World Cup experience that will undoubtedly make them better international players in the future. The depth of the player pool has been increased, and I believe we will now see the growth and development of this squad. Most importantly, perhaps, the success of the Wallabies' World Cup campaign captivated the nation and hopefully that will lead to increased grassroots participation in rugby.

Michael Cheika has proven himself to be the right man for the Wallabies job. He has cleaned up the detritus left from the Robbie Deans and Ewen McKenzie eras, and the Australian Rugby Union should make every effort to keep the coaching team together and best use his unique talents that saw him named World Rugby Coach of the Year after just 12 months in the position. He has the ability to get all the players on the same page to achieve a common goal, and the Wallabies' unity and cohesion created in such a short period of time was exceptional; to be able to get the best out of each individual and get the Wallabies machine working smoothly is an absolute credit to him and his staff.

Overseas-based Wallabies are here to stay© Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

The overseas-based Wallabies had a crucial impact in the World Cup, and it's clear now that players who are good enough and meet the criteria set down by the ARU should be invited into the team. The experience gained by Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchell at the highest levels of the club game in Europe was immense and demonstrable within the leadership role in the playing group, and the effect of that experience, of Giteau in particular, on the younger players was evident for all to see. Giteau and Mitchell added to the exceptional performance of the Australian backline, with their ability to perform well and display calmness in pressure situations was outstanding.

The Wallabies trained hard to work hard© Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

Cheika has been able to create an exceptional team culture within this group. You cannot underestimate the difficulty of the task to get 31 players sharing one goal, and to get the best out of each individual, but Cheika was able to do it. The team believed in the structures, which was demonstrated by their performances - never more so then when they stayed calm under pressure and defended their line for long periods, something we hadn't seen from the Wallabies for some time. We all know that defence is attitude, and Cheika was able to instil an aggressive don't-let-your-mates-down mentality that undoubtedly was a significant positive to come out of their campaign; some people even said it was the best defensive effort they had seen from a Wallabies team.

The individual desire of the Wallabies to stand firm, to never let their team-mates down, was the real take-home point of this World Cup from Australia's point of view. The Wallabies need to continue with this mentality, and I believe this squad will be able to draw back on those tough World Cup moments when their character is tested in coming contests. Cheika, with his abrasive no-nonsense attitude and steely desire to win, has moulded a team of which all Australians can be proud. And that pride is key. We could see how proud the players were to wear the green and gold jersey, and to represent their country and people. They didn't want to let anyone down. They performed on and off the field with credit to the jersey, in terms of performance and personal demeanour, and that made me proud to be an Australian rugby player.