Eurosport rugby expert Neil Back says England must not cull their older players now the World Cup is over. The most important thing is to win their next match.

It was a shame England could not go all the way and successfully defend the World Cup, but overall I think they did fantastically well. They beat all our expectations.

When you consider where they were before the quarter-finals, the turn around has been amazing.

England clearly developed belief as the tournament progressed, but the World Cup has never been won by a team that loses a game in the pool stages and that was how it proved again.

Overall I think it was a bit of a flat final, and after Matthew Tait's break and the disallowed try, the Springboks looked pretty comfortable. Having gone nine points up, they then looked like they knew how to close the game out.

Who knows what would have happened had we not lost Jason Robinson, Phil Vickery and Mike Catt to injury - that was a lot of experience to lose.

We can also speculate what would have happened had Tait's try been awarded. But the bottom line is it was not a try. Stuart Dickinson took a lot of time making his decision and it was the right one. That's the end of it.

There was a similar moment in 2003, when Benny Kay dropped the ball with the try line at his mercy. But there is no point thinking what might have happened had he scored, had Matt Dawson gone for the line himself. Sometimes in rugby things go your way, sometimes they don't, so it's important to move one.

But the reassuring thing about the final for me was that England emerged knowing they have a pack that can compete with any in the world. They now have the belief and foundations of a good side and we must not waste this opportunity, like we did in 2003.

England must learn from the mistakes made over the last four years. Whoever is in charge, England are now in a good position and they must take advantage of that.

There are a few lessons to be learned and the first one is to be consistent with selections. England have used in the region of 90 players since the 2003 World Cup and this is no way to build a side.

Nor should there be a cull of the older players just because they may not be around for the 2011 World Cup. I have personal experience of this as I was deemed surplus to requirements after the 2003 World Cup.

We had just won the biggest trophy in rugby and all of a sudden I was no longer good enough to play for my country! Clive Woodward has since admitted that dropping me was a mistake and I hope the same does not happen again with some of the current squad.

Experience is vital in helping the next generation of players. By all means bring new players through, but do it within the 35-40 player squad system where they can learn from the senior players.

Yes have an eye on 2011, but the most important thing is to win the next game. Pick the best team to win the next game and have the new players in the background, where they can learn and become embedded in the culture.

Also, there must be a debrief for the England coaches and managers. It's not unfair to say that England over-achieved in France and lessons must be learnt from the whole experience.

At Leicester, we are certainly looking forward to having our England players back at Welford Road.

The Leicester squad has done exceptionally well in their absence. We had targeted a top-four spot at this stage of the season and we're only one spot below that after four wins from six games, so we're pleased with the start we've had.

The returning players will certainly bolster the squad but we'll have to wait and see when they will be ready to play. We'll assess them on an individual basis as some have played more than others.

After the 2003 Rugby World Cup, Martin Johnson and I got back on a Tuesday and were on the bench the following Saturday. Our approach was that it is an honour to play for your country and you club.

That's what professional rugby players do - they play rugby - so I imagine the guys returning will be keen to get back on the field as soon as possible.

We have a difficult Anglo-Welsh Cup trip to Bath on Saturday, and Bath are in great form, so it would certainly help if some of them are available.

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