Carter Gordon is confident his wobbly goal-kicking will improve in time for the Wallabies' Rugby World Cup opener against Georgia next week.
Gordon only managed one success from five attempts in their tournament warm-up loss to France, but the young playmaker said he was up to the challenge of carrying the team's kicking duties.
The issue was problematic for the Wallabies at the last World Cup in 2019 in Japan, with the role shared between Bernard Foley, Christian Lealiifano, Reece Hodge and Matt Toomua before their quarter-final elimination.
This time Gordon, who was preferred at No.10 by coach Eddie Jones ahead of Quade Cooper and Foley, is the starting choice and insists he will improve.
After some niggles limited his practice through Super Rugby, the Melbourne Rebels star said he now had "no excuse".
“Obviously, on the weekend, I didn’t have the goal-kicking performance I was after and I’m working hard at it at the moment,” Gordon said following the Wallabies’ open training session in front of 2000 locals at the Stade Roger Baudras just outside Saint-Etienne.
“It’s going to be better.”
He said playing against France in front of a full house at Stade de France, where they will face Georgia on September 10 (AEST) in their first pool game, was an ideal preparation.
“It’s been a pretty good week in France - playing at the Stade de France was an awesome experience. It’s an unreal stadium,” Gordon said.
“I think it’s put myself and the team in good stead for the first game of the World Cup.”
The 22-year-old, who has played five Tests, said the confidence shown by Jones had given he and the other youngsters in the team belief heading into their first World Cup with 25 from 33 in the squad at their first tournament.
“The confidence Eddie has in myself and the team is huge, and that really drives me and it drives the team ... I just can’t wait to get out there and play again,” he said.
Flanker Fraser McReight, who replaced long-time leader Michael Hooper in the squad, said the team felt unconditional support from the coach.
“We had George Gregan in earlier in the week and he said you don’t get experience until someone backs you,” McReight said.
“For us, we’ve got the backing through Eddie and it fills me with confidence and I know it is going through the rest of the group.
“Just the group itself, we play with confidence and we all love each other so I’m super excited to rip in with these lads.”
