But Harding, after hitting the post with his first kick, landed four conversions and two penalties, a couple of the kicks superb efforts from wide out as Steelform Wanganui retained their Heartland Championship lead by beating Buller 39-12 in an impressive display.
Harding and stand-in first five-eighth Sean Brown did superb jobs, lessening the effect of the loss of Wanganui's playmaker and champion points-scorer Davis.
Coincidentally the reason Harding has done so little goalkicking this season is because Davis is in his club side Border - thus the young man who kicked around 230 points for Wanganui Collegiate last season had to get himself back into shape last week when told by back coach Jason Hamlin to practice his goalkicking.
"Jason told me and Ace [Malo] to practice our goalkicking last Tuesday and Thursday and I was happy to do it today," Harding said. "And I was kicking them pretty well, those adidas balls fly an extra 10m."
Harding came out for a practice on Saturday morning and found how strong the wind was - he landed a goal from 57m.
Later that match day, Buller's kicker Marty Banks had his own practice session just before the match and landed one from a colossal 70m - and he had some metres to spare.
That summed-up the strength of the wind.
The first kick at goal for Harding was relatively simple on a good day - 25m and almost straight - but he hit the post high up.
"I was a bit nervous after that," says Harding.
But he followed that up with a glorious conversion from a metre in from touch to the try scored by Gene Ropoama.
"The wind was in the right place, and that helped my kicking. I did pretty well after that."
As for getting started?
"It was a matter of getting back into my routine because Mark was kicking for Border and I haven't really kicked this year."
Brown, termed "outstanding" by coach Jason Caskey, teamed up quickly with half Matthew Koubaridis, but in the first half there was an element of just shovelling the ball on to the outsides.
After halftime and a team discussion both players grabbed the bit and took total ownership of their playmaker roles as Wanganui became rampant into the wind.
"It was a bit like that," Brown said.
"It took us a while to get into our structure, but once we got our forwards into the game and got go-forward ball it made it easier for me."
Fitness report: Davis now appears a possible starter by semifinal time, while centre Saul Chase should be right next week.
But several knocks during Saturday's will need treatment. Lock Jon Smyth has a knock in the ribs, Peter Rowe a calf tightening up, Fraser Hammond a hip that needs attention, and Koubarisidis tweaked a groin in Saturday's warm-up.