Rugby: Genia vows to win back respect of Australian public

Wallabies halfback Will Genia. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Wallabies halfback Will Genia has vowed to use the World Cup to win back the respect of the Australian public, after admitting the team felt underprepared for their failed 2011 campaign.

The Wallabies were knocked out by eventual champions New Zealand in the 2011 semifinals and Genia insists the exit still sits uneasily with him - as does the criticism directed at the team on their return to Australia.

Genia felt the Wallabies went into 2011 underprepared under Robbie Deans, so he's imploring his young teammates to cherish every moment at this World Cup.

"If I look back to 2011, we didn't have a really specific plan about how we wanted to go about things in that World Cup - as far as preparation and just little things to focus on," admits Genia, who will start at halfback in the Wallabies' Cup-opener against Fiji in Cardiff tomorrow.

"Whereas preparation this time around ... we've left no stone unturned."

Australia enter the World Cup as the No 2-ranked nation in the world behind New Zealand, but a stigma remains about their perceived fragilities: the scrum, goal-kicking and their ability to win the biggest games.

Genia understands the only way to alter those perceptions is by delivering on the field.

But he says it hurts to hear the Australian public taking pot shots at the Wallabies - and he's making it his mission to ensure they have no reason to "kick us while we're down" any more.

"This is a really good opportunity for us, on the biggest stage of them all, to play well, to make the country proud ...

"It will go a long way to gaining some respect back."

- AAP