France fly-half François Trinh-Duc insists his kicking frailties have been overblown as he battles to regain the starting jersey ahead of the RBS 6 Nations.
A gifted runner, Trinh-Duc is not a goal-kicker for Les Bleus and has sometimes come under fire for his tactical kicking game.
During the autumn internationals it was Frédéric Michalak who was handed the ten shirt for all three Tests ahead of Montpellier’s Trinh-Duc, with the 30-year-old expected to keep that jersey heading into the 2013.
However Trinh-Duc is adamant that he gets a raw deal when it comes to focus on his boot.
He said: “I’ve spoken to [Montpellier coach] Fabien Galthié about it. When you look back at my games you can’t say it’s catastrophic. Everyone puts up the odd up and under which is too short, even Jonny Wilkinson. But whatever happens, if I have a good game with the boot people will say, ‘Wow, he’s improved’.
“If in the next game I’m not as good I will spend a month hearing that Trinh-Duc doesn’t have a kicking game.
“I think I have some character, but not a bad character. The criticism helps me, even if at the start I find it difficult to accept it. It’s probably because I’m a little oversensitive.”
