A minute ago you were claiming to be better rather than just more mature? I see where you're coming from but I'd say theres nothing conceptually different between a winning finalist in something and being a losing finalist - the experience you get is just as valuable, and for every young Irish player with experience of winning the heineken with leinster such as Healy, SOB, Sexton etc, theres an England player who played and lost in the final with Northampton, Foden, Ashton, Lawes, Wood, Hartley. I'd say Youngs and Tuilagi are the least experienced English starters, but both have played in advanced stages of the heineken with Leicester. Haskell and Croft are both young still but have both played in finals and won virtually every competition there is with Leicester and Wasps. Added to that we have 4 very experienced 2003 medal winners. Finally, if losing in the semi's/final of the heineken is so different from winning it, surely the Irish heineken cup experience by the same token doesn't transfer to experience of world cup knockout rugby: something most of the irish side have no experience of whatsoever, even the old timers.
