SAINT ETIENNE: Finally some good news for beleaguered Wallabies fans.
Vice captain Tate McDermott has declared himself ready to rumble in Monday's (AEST) do or die Rugby World Cup clash with Wales in Lyon.
Halfback McDermott missed the historic 22-15 loss to Fiji in Saint-Etienne after suffering a nasty head clash in the 35-15 win over Georgia in Paris.
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Nic White started in his place with Issak Fines-Leleiwasa making his World Cup debut off the bench.
"The head's good. We're pretty lucky, absolutely no symptoms so we'll be available this weekend," McDermott told Stan Sport's Michael Atkinson.
McDermott sat next to injured captain Will Skelton (calf) at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard and described it as a "tough watch."
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"The boys are pretty gutted with that performance. You are pretty helpless up there. You start to understand exactly what the coaches are going through but it gives you a different perspective."
Eddie Jones will name his team on Friday with interest centring on whether he opts for Carter Gordon or Ben Donaldson at No.10.
"Not just Carter but a lot of boys had tough outings," McDermott said.
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"We've stayed tight. That's the only thing we can do. We've got to take those learnings, take the pain and propel ourselves forward.
"That's the only option for us now. Every World Cup game's a final, particularly given how we performed on the weekend. It wasn't a good enough performance and that was from 1-23."
McDermott said Jones' experience from five World Cups was proving valuable to a young playing group.
"There's a lot of us in this first cycle and we're just learning what it's all about," he said.
"So we know now exactly what the pressure does to us as a side and we need to make sure we're combative and a lot tighter in those pressure moments, which is disappointing to see."
Prop Pone Fa'amausili is also expected to be available for selection, shoring up Australia's options on the tighthead side.
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