Folau's mixed World Cup debut came to an end when the Wallabies fell to New Zealand 34-17 in the final at Twickenham.

Hampered by a torn ligament in his ankle, Folau didn't have his usual dynamic impact in the back half of the tournament and finished without scoring a try.

It has been the leanest try-scoring year of Folau's career, which started with the Melbourne Storm in 2007, scoring just six tries in 25 games for the NSW Waratahs and the Wallabies.

Folau signed a three-year flexible contract to stay in Australian rugby while juggling stints in Japan to supplement his earnings.

Folau will be 30 by the time the next World Cup is played in Japan in 2019 and the NRL will almost certainly come knocking about a comeback when he comes off contract in 2018.

Asked if losing the World Cup final made him keen to have a crack at another one, Folau said: "It's hard to say. I don't know what's going to happen in four years time.

"I'm not signed for that long. It hurts now, but these are the sort of things you have to put behind you. As I come closer to that point in time to decide whether I want to stay on or not, it is something I have to consider: whether I have another crack at it."

Folau still averaged 100 metres in his five World Cup matches, but failed to score a try.

He injured his ankle in the match against England, battled through a contest against Wales, was ruled out of the quarter-final against Scotland and struggled to have an impact in the semi-final against Argentina.

The 26-year-old is judged by higher standards than most after setting a remarkable try-scoring strike-rate in his NRL career and the start to his stint in rugby.

He saw limited opportunities in the final against New Zealand, but tried to inject himself at every opportunity. He beat three defenders and looked more comfortable under the high ball.

But the All Blacks managed to keep him out of the contest as they fended off a Wallabies comeback in the second half to become the first country in World Cup history to win back-to-back tournaments.

"We have to cop it and move on. People probably thought we couldn't get this far but we worked really hard and it was great for us to get to this stage," he said.

"But for us to come out second best, we learn a lot more from a loss and the team can treat this in a positive way looking ahead to next year. It hurts to lose like this, that's the way it is. You want to finish on top. No one makes it this far to come second."

Folau said he felt more comfortable in the final and admitted he was frustrated through the tournament as he struggled with his ankle problem.

He has won NRL grand finals, State-of-Origin titles, a Super Rugby championship and played in the AFL, but Folau said the shattering loss to New Zealand was the biggest moment of his career.

"I learned a lot through the experience. Just because we lost a game like that doesn't mean we lose belief," he said.

"It is still there, and if anything the loss will make us a lot closer as a group, that we've all be through that. My personal view is that this team will get better. [The final] was the biggest game of my career, it doesn't get any bigger than this. Rugby is played on a world stage and it was a great experience for me."

The Wallabies will return to Australia in the coming days, but Folau will cut short his holiday to start his stint in Japan with NTT Docomo.

It is still unknown how his flexible contract will affect his Wallabies availability, as the ARU tries to work out a plan to ensure its star commodity does not suffer from burnout.

If Folau plays in Super Rugby, all of the Wallabies' Tests and in Japan, he will be on the field for almost 12 months of the year.

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