Towering lock Will Skelton admits he has underwhelmed in the Wallabies jersey to date. Still, the three-time European Cup winner has no qualms about how he has been used by former Australia coaches, and already likes what he sees under Eddie Jones on the Gold Coast this week.
Skelton was among the last arrivals into Wallabies camp over the weekend, the La Rochelle lock joining Richie Arnold -- whom he described as "pest" -- at Sanctuary Cove alongside the Brumbies players who were rested from last week's training camp in Sydney.
Jones represents a fourth Wallabies coach that Skelton has played under, with the former Waratahs lock making his Test debut all the way back in 2014 under Ewen McKenzie. He has since gone on to play 24 Tests, the last of which came in the narrow loss to Ireland under Dave Rennie, who was sacked to make way for Jones, last November.
After bursting onto the Test scene with a standout display on debut, Skelton's involvements at international level have failed to hit similar heights, with only fleeting examples of the destructive power that have made him a household name in European rugby.
"I've probably had a lot of opportunity and probably not taken the best step forward, in my personal opinion, performance wise," Skelton told reporters on Tuesday. "But it's obviously a different opportunity for me now to come over here and inject a bit of experience, a bit of wisdom, I'm a bit older now as well, and see where I can add to this team going forward."
Skelton returned to the Wallabies frame under Rennie through the Overseas Player Selection Policy -- otherwise known as the Giteau Law -- but was used only sparingly, largely off the bench, on back-to-back spring tours.
While that strategy frustrated some Wallabies supporters, who were crying out to see whether the lock could replicate his performances with Saracens and then La Rochelle at Test level, Skelton himself said he hadn't been bothered by the lack of playing time.
"I didn't really mind. He [Rennie] had a plan, in all those games we were one or two points off [winning] so there [were] moments in the game we could have [clinched] it," he added. "But for me I'm happy to start, I'm happy to come off the bench, whatever's best for the team."
While Jones may be loathed to throw Skelton straight into a Test against the Springboks in Pretoria on Saturday week, the Wallabies coach appears likely to use the 31-year-old far more prominently than his predecessor in the run to the World Cup in September.
Just last month Jones described Skelton as "probably the best tighthead lock in the world", in a clear sign of just how highly he rates the giant second-rower.
And Skelton will clearly benefit from being a part of the Wallabies setup on home soil for the first time since 2016, as opposed to being flown in during a spring tour and left to play catch up on Australia's game style and strategy.
"Yeah for sure, just in terms of detail, knowing my role, learning the plays, I've got a lot more time now," Skelton said when asked if he would benefit from a longer build-up. "And I guess it's a bit easier now because we're all learning, it's all new to us, we've got to fast track everything Eddie wants us to take in.
"In this four-day camp -- we've had guys working hard in the satellite camps for the past three weeks -- and we've come in now to try and raise that standard. So it's always nice to be together and building those connections for what's going to be a tough five Tests before the World Cup."
At his best, Skelton can be a game-changer for the Wallabies at the World Cup, particularly given his intimate knowledge of French and European rugby, which many pundits -- and Jones himself -- predict will be the style of rugby that will be played once the tournament reaches its knockout stage.
That experience could prove invaluable, particularly with Jones introducing a raft of new faces in his 34-man Wallabies group as well as others who are reasonably new to the Test arena.
"I think we've got all the ingredients; Eddie's selected a squad with youth, experience, edge; I think that's what's needed to win the big games in my experience," Skelton said of the Wallabies' squad.
"I think we've got the cattle; it's about putting it out on the training paddock and executing on Saturday night. But it's exciting times now for us, as a group we're building our connections, building our relationships, because we know that's what's going to take us to that next level."
Arnold is among those new faces, the Toulouse lock seemingly coming from nowhere in the past few months to make the squad after Jones was forced to apply for two additional Giteau Law picks outside the legislated three per tournament.
It's a request Skelton is happy his coach has made.
"Richie's a pest. On the rugby field he's a nuisance, in the lineout, in particular, he's a menace," Skelton said of Arnold. "Also he's physical, he has that edge; his knowledge of the game is up there as well with the best of them.
"But no, he's a great guy, I've played a lot against him, I think I'm bloody 0-9 against Richie and his brother [Rory] at Toulouse, so that's not nice to hear every time the boys mention it in camp.
"But I'm happy that Richie's here because he deserves it, he's been playing world-class rugby over at Toulouse, and hopefully he brings that experience and that form into the gold jersey."