Injured Wallabies prop Ben Darwin said he wanted to rip off his neck-brace and go out and play as Australia lost a heart-breaking Rugby World Cup final to England 20-17.

Darwin, who almost became a paraplegic after injuring his neck in a scrum during the second half of the semi-final against New Zealand, said as the match entered extra time all he felt like doing was going out on the field to help his teammates.

"I was extremely emotional. It was frustrating to have no control and be on the sidelines," said Darwin, who had presented his fellow Wallabies with their jumpers and gave a rousing speech before the match.

Darwin paid tribute to his replacement Al Baxter who he said did an amazing job but like everybody on the field was feeling the pinch as the match headed for 100 minutes of play.

"It was frustrating. With about 20 minutes to go I just wanted to rip off my neck-brace and go out and play," said the 27-year-old.

England coach Clive Woodward said at England's final press conference that people don't remember the pre-match speech delivered to the losing side but Darwin's will surely linger in the Australian players' minds.

"I tried to keep it as simple as I could. It was a very emotionally-charged moment," Darwin said of his speech.

"I talked about trust and bonding and that this game wasn't about 15 players but 22.

"We went through enormous difficulties this year and were written off by a lot of people but the guys can hold their heads high after tonight's match.

"Giving that speech was one of the proudest moments of my life and one of those things you can't really explain to anyone."

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