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Wales, beware the McMahon

8th October, 2015
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Pick me Mike, pick me! Sean McMahon is loving life in Japan. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
Roar Guru
8th October, 2015
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3488 Reads

Wales should understand the problem they face if Sean McMahon is selected as Michael Hooper’s replacement on Saturday night at Twikenham.

There will be no let up from the breakdown fury and hard running the Wallabies have shown so far this tournament.

McMahon has been the Wallabies’ most consistently physical player at training. From all accounts he has commanded a great deal of respect and fear from the work he has put in throughout the Wallabies World Cup preparations. His attitude and his training has pushed other squad members to lift their contribution.

Wales will face an arguably weaker Wallabies team than England with Rob Horne injured, Michael Hooper paying a one-match ban and the possibility Israel Folau might miss his first match in a long time with an ankle complaint.

McMahon’s training and attitude has lorded him among his peers and has earned him to this point a number of starting places in Wallabies sides, most notably his selection in last year’s spring tour.

However, McMahon’s moment is now if he wants to assert himself as the eventual heir to the Michael Hooper/David Pocock era. You get the feeling he doesn’t like to be viewed as an alternative option to the ‘Pooper’ combination. He has his chance to mark himself as a starting possibility in a pressure situation.

McMahon comes across as a player that lets his work do the talking. No-nonsense ball running and attentive at the breakdown he is the perfect replacement for the classy Hooper for this game. He also has that same ‘mad eyes’ look that Hooper possesses which makes them both formidably physical players.

I think Michael Cheika should continue with his push with Pocock at No.8 and resist the temptation to pull back into the past and play him at Seven allowing Ben McCalman to slot in at the back. No disrespect to McCalman here who has played his role well so far this World Cup, but McMahon allows Cheika to continue this so far ‘successful’ experiment that could ultimately have longer term implications on the Wallabies style and back row selection.

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While we have the true number 7 flanker ranks strong, we should take advantage of them, because we can see what happens when a strong side the likes of England plays without one. We need to tap this resource while we are able.

Chris Robshaw is clearly a blindside flanker and England’s lack of a real break down presence against the Wallabies certainly played them out of last weekend’s match.

The time is now for Sean McMahon. Beware Wales, and anyone else who the Wallabies may meet in the tournament.

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