Australia and Wales will look to Friday’s bronze final here at Eden Park for some consolation after their hopes of winning the World Cup were extinguished following semifinal defeats last weekend.

The Wallabies were bloodied and battered in 20-6 defeat by New Zealand, while the Welsh are still bemoaning a 9-8 loss to France, where they played with 14 men for the last hour.

While pundits question the relevance of a third place playoff tacked on to the end of a demanding six-week tournament, both teams say they have plenty to play for in their curtain-fall appearances at the seventh World Cup.

The Wallabies are licking their wounds having been second best in all aspects to the All Blacks, but are determined to go out with a bang after promising so much, but delivering so little.

Meanwhile Wales say they are equally as determined to prove they should be in Sunday’s final instead of France after coming within a whisker of beating the French despite having skipper Sam Warburton sent off midway through the first half for a lifting tackle.

The principality’s Western Mail newspaper devoted its entire Monday front page to an emotional editorial entitled “Is This How You Feel?”, lamenting the defeat and what might have been.

Senior Wallaby back Adam Ashley-Cooper said the opportunity to repay their fans and the likelihood Australia lock Nathan Sharpe would play his 100th Test were driving his side.

“We care and if they (Australia supporters) care about us, they would care. They need to know that the collective group here that are representing the country care a lot,” Ashley-Cooper said.

“Obviously, we suffered a pretty significant loss at the weekend and we were all very upset, everyone took it personally, so we’ve got an opportunity to turn things around and we really want to win this game.”

The Wallabies will be without injured lock Dan Vickerman as well as prop forward Sekope Kepu (eye), centre Pat McCabe (shoulder) and hooker Stephen Moore (sternum) for the bronze game.

Exciting 19-year-old wing George North said Wales deserved to return home with something from what has been an impressive tournament for the young Red Dragons.

North said the manner of the loss to France had taken a lot of getting over, but he said the hangover will have lifted by Friday’s game against the world number two Wallabies.

“The way we’ve been playing that’s something (third) we really deserve,” North said. “Everyone is excited to get a chance to play against a southern hemisphere side in New Zealand. It’s going to be a great opportunity.”

Wales defeated Australia 22-21 in the playoff for third place at the inaugural 1987 World Cup in New Zealand, and neither team has played in one since.

Warren Gatland, whose coaching reputation has been enhanced by the Welsh displays at the World Cup, said he wants his exuberant team to finish on a high.

“We face Australia back home at the Millennium Stadium in just over a month’s time and we are single-minded in our assertion that we want that homecoming to be a celebration of us achieving the status of one of the top three teams in the world,” Kiwi Gatland said.

“We have come a long way and put together a string of performances that the nation can be proud of so far in New Zealand and we need to ensure that the history books reflect what we know we are capable of.

“And it is only by beating the Wallabies on Friday night that we feel this will be achieved.”