London: The Wallabies are ready to seize their moment in the Australian sporting spotlight after their best game in a decade was sandwiched between the AFL and NRL grand finals, coach Michael Cheika urging his players to win back fan respect.
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But the Wallabies are refusing to dance on England's grave as the host nation prepares for a billion-dollar fallout following their embarrassing World Cup exit and a 33-13 loss at the hands of Australia.
Cheika wants his team to take its opportunity to lift rugby back to prominence in Australia and win back fans after more than decade of lean results and off-field turbulence.
The Wallabies announced themselves as genuine World Cup contenders when they thumped England by 20 points and torpedoed the hosts out of the tournament before the last pool game.
But Johnathan Thurston's grand final heroics for the North Queensland Cowboys will overshadow one of the great Wallabies victories and one of their best performances in the past decade.
The Wallabies huddled around a mobile phone at their recovery session on Sunday to listen to a live broadcast of Thurston's golden point field goal in a stunning grand final.
But the ARU has a chance to cash in on a potential popularity explosion as the Wallabies chase their World Cup dream, starting when they take centre stage in Australian sport with a clash against Wales on Saturday night (Sunday morning AEDT).
It's rugby union's chance to claim precious market space in Australia and restore pride in a brand that has been battered in recent years with the NRL and AFL seasons now over and Australia's cricket tour of Bangladesh cancelled.
In contrast, England is set to take a huge financial hit with experts predicting a £3 billion ($A6.48 billion) economic backlash in the wake of the humiliation of becoming the first host nation in World Cup history be knocked out of their own tournament before the quarter finals.
"It is a chance every time we play ... It doesn't always have to be what everyone wants it to be," Cheika said.
"It just has to be that they're proud of the way their team plays. Like I do with the teams I support in different codes or whatever.
"You just want to see them be who they are because that's what you identify with. I don't feel like we have to bribe anyone by doing anything in particular, it's about playing the way people back home will say, 'they really got stuck in there and I want to back that team'.
"We just have to stay committed to improving and being consistent at that level so we get more and more belief from people, and get people back enjoying the game. Not just supporting or buying tickets, but enjoying the game."
Wallabies players stand to pocket a bonus of $110,000 on top of match payments if they win the World Cup final later this month.
Each country sets its own bonuses for players for getting to different stages of the tournament, but World Rugby refuses to give its own bonuses and instead pays a participation fee.
The Wallabies have lost some fans in recent years after churning through three coaches in less than two years, Kurtley Beale's off-field text message dramas and the game's precarious financial position.
But they have the market to themselves without competition from the NRL or AFL for the next month and there was a swell of support for their scintillating performance that crushed the hopes of rugby-mad England.
"In every game we play we build on that self-belief," said veteran Adam Ashley-Cooper. "There is a lot of it in the team, but we haven't won anything yet.
"...We all want to be world champions and it is a matter of improving each day. It was a special win (against England), but as soon as Monday comes we will be preparing for Wales."
Academics at the London School of Business predicted the loss would lead to a £3 billion crash, with broadcaster ITV expected to take a 1 million hit per match in advertising revenue.
English pubs were expected to turn an £86 million profit for games involving the hosts by pouring an extra 25 million pints.
England coach Stuart Lancaster and captain Chris Robshaw are copping stinging criticism of their performances and both of their jobs will face the pressure test this week.
England players stood to pocket more money than any other nation if they won the World Cup, but Lancaster will be lucky to survive in his position and the players are next in the firing line.
"Even with the finals of the other codes [in Australia] the traffic that came our way with messaging, and people at the game, was unreal," Cheika said.
