Words are cheap.
That's the message from Stephen Moore ahead of his return to the starting XV against Italy.
He has been reinstated as captain and while some eyes may have already been cast to the All Blacks Test, Moore insists the Wallabies are focused on reinstating pride in the gold jersey with a win against the Italians.
"The great thing about this weekend is that it's an opportunity for us to go out there after a disappointing performance and show our fans what it means to us - what it means to wear a jersey," Moore said.
"There's been plenty this week said about that and I know every player in our squad is burning to get out there on the weekend and show our fans what it means to us."
Moore made a very simple point at Coorparoo State School - the site of his only childhood century for Brisbane Grammar - when asked what he thought of the six changes to Michael Cheika's starting XV.
"I think it's performance based - guys that are performing will get picked - it's pretty simple," he said.
"Given that it's a national team, you want performance to be king.
"Words are cheap."
The Australian lineout strayed against Scotland and Moore believes that will be one area that improves at Suncorp Stadium.
"I thought it was good against Fiji," he said.
"There were a couple of errors last week that we have addressed - we have pretty high standards around that part of the game that we want to hit and we've worked hard again on that this week."
He is also confident he will be able to transition from finisher to starter, a shift that is quite often underestimated.
"I think that'll be fine.
"The finishing role is a very distinct role and we have emphasised that a fair bit - Cheik has been big on that and the importance of the finishers in contributing to the overall performance.
"That will be the same this week.
"The guys that go out there need to set the platform for the game and then the guys that come on that finish the game have a key role in finishing and lifting the tempo and physicality."
Moore will become the 10th most capped player in international rugby history when he leads the team out on Saturday and while he isn't big on personal milestones, he takes immense pride every time he pulls the gold jersey on.
"As you get down the track a little bit these things come up, the personal milestones," he said.
"I've never been massive on it.
"Rugby is a team game and that's why I play it.
"Every player will talk differently but for me that's a big part of playing for your country - you're representing everybody.
"Everyone plays in your jersey around the country, everyone watches and there are a lot of people out there that want to do well.
"We feel that and we feel the frustration when it doesn't go well."
