James Hook has woken up to headlines hailing him as the new Barry John after his composed performance against Australia earned Wales a draw on Saturday, but the 21-year-old outside-half said yesterday that he would not be taken hostage by fame.

Hook, who is the third-choice outside-half for his region, the Ospreys, replaced the captain Stephen Jones after 25 minutes when Wales were trailing 17-6. Jones had twisted his knee a quarter of an hour before, but stayed on with Wales lacking an experienced replacement only for Hook to play with nerveless maturity.

With Jones definitely missing Wales's matches against Pacific Islands on Saturday and Canada the following Friday, and rated at no more than 50-50 to return for the Test against New Zealand on November 26, Hook may get the chance to play against the All Blacks' Daniel Carter, whose career he has watched closely.

"To play opposite him would be fantastic," said Hook. "You can only learn from a player like him, but there is a long way to go before that game. I know that a lot has been said and written about me since Saturday, but my feet will not be leaving the ground. I have made the headlines before and I have made a point of ensuring that it does not affect my game."

Hook landed five kicks at goal out of five while the more experienced Matt Giteau had a success rate of less than 60%. "I have worked with Neil Jenkins [the world record points scorer] for the last couple of years and you cannot get a better mentor. There is pressure on you as a kicker, but to me playing against a team like Australia in front of 70,000 spectators is an experience you have to enjoy."

Wales's dilemma when Jones returns from injury is where to play Hook, who is also comfortable at inside-centre. "We have a number of possible combinations," said the skills coach Nigel Davies. "It was a big ask of a young player to occupy such a key position at an early stage of the match when we were behind, but I knew he had the mental strength and character to play his natural game and execute his skills under pressure."

Wales yesterday called up the centre Sonny Parker, who retired from international rugby a year ago, into their squad to replace the injured Hal Luscombe, while the Pacific Islanders gathered in Cardiff yesterday without the Fiji wing Rupeni Caucaunibuca.

Agen have been reluctant to release their star turn, who only returned to the club three weeks ago after an extended summer break. The player was said to be in transit last night, with the French club warned that they would be reported for breaching IRB regulations regarding player release if Caucau failed to show up.