Its a difficult balance.
If you're involved in the squad or management, then in a commission final, the attitude must be "win at all costs"
If the RWC is the pinnacle of international rugby, then you'd take a 3-0 win in the final, regardless of the opposition.
There's an argument that in between the world cups, teams should aspire to more than just winning, however, international rugby doesn't have a lot of room for experimentation.
The 6Nations feels important every year.
No one wants to tour NZ, Australia or RSA without using a tried and tested game plan.
Similarly, no one wants to lose to them when they tour here.
That ultimately leaves a game against a Pacific nations team in the AIs, or against Italy on the 6N, where you can experiment and probably still win.
Some enlightened fans may feel that it's worth potentially sacrificing a couple of these tournaments for the greater good.
However, the wider public, the media and the paymasters typically want wins for the national side.