Rugby Australia’s upbeat new director of rugby Scott Johnson says there’s no reason why the Wallabies can’t win this year’s World Cup.

Johnson began his new role on Friday, overseeing the Wallabies’ preparation for the global showpiece in Japan starting in September and believes Michael Cheika’s under-performing team can go one better than reaching the 2015 final.

“We’re not a million miles off,” Johnson said, despite the Wallabies coming off their worst-performing season in 60 years.

“We have as much chance as anyone else. We have a pretty formidable record but we can’t rely on that, and don’t expect to.

“We are trying to get prominence in a very dynamic sporting landscape and we want to stand for something. Our rugby DNA is acumen and skill and that’s what I want to be.”

Johnson, Australia’s attack coach under John Connolly during the Wallabies’ 2007 World Cup campaign, has returned home following a successful stint as Scotland’s director of rugby.

He helped Scotland climb to No.3 in the world at one point during his reign and is confident he can also help rebuild the sixth-ranked Wallabies’ ranking working alongside Cheika.

“We are pretty proud of what is on our coat of arms – we have two animals that don’t walk backwards,” he said bullishly.

“I quite like that so with anything in a competitive sense, we won’t be walking backwards.

“Everyone talks about the problems in Australian rugby from afar – that’s what you hear – but there’s a lot of countries around the world that wish they had the same problems.

“They got to the last World Cup final.”