AUGUST 21(Reuters) Australia coach Michael Cheika has on Friday (August 21) named uncapped Melbourne Rebels prop Toby Smith and promising flanker Sean McMahon in his 31-man World Cup squad.
The pair have not featured in the 2015 international season, but may be thrust onto the game’s biggest stage in England next month for the Wallabies’ Pool A matches against Fiji, Wales, Uruguay and the hosts.
Loosehead prop Smith was born in Queensland but raised in New Zealand where he was a member of the nation’s 2008 under-20 world championship before winning two Super Rugby titles with the Waikato Chiefs.
His 21-year-old Melbourne team mate McMahon has played only three tests, but is a versatile back-rower who will be expected to battle incumbent Scott Fardy for the blindside position.
“He is going to float a little bit for us between 6,7 or 8 depending on what we need in the second game or the third game of the tournament, or the first game, depends when he gets selected and the combination of back row,” said Cheika.
“Perhaps the possibility of us sometimes playing the two 7’s together if we wanted to open that up for him as well so I just like the energy that he brings. He is a young player that we want to invest in for the future as well. A player who’s very similar to him, who was very, very unlucky in missing out was Samu Kerevi, I think that he brings that same type of attitude and they’re real markers for us in the future, players that we know will draw from this experience and we can really benefit from later on. Sean energises everyone in the squad and when we are training – you certainly know when you have been training against Sean McMahon, he gives everything at training and that’s pretty much the attitude we want to have,” he added.
Cheika named Nick Phipps and Will Genia in the squad on Friday as his only two specialist scrumhalves, meaning the ACT Brumbies’ Nic White has been cut.
Bernard Foley and Quade Cooper are the flyhalves, with Matt Toomua, Kurtley Beale and Matt Giteau, who can play scrumhalf if needed, the chosen inside backs.
Cooper has come under criticism for his displays in the Australian team, but Cheika again stressed his faith in the controversial fly-half, who has won 56 caps for his country.
“I don’t know why people are quizzing that selection. He has been a long-term player for Australia and I think he has done well for us,” said Cheika.
“He can obviously improve like all our players can. I think he did well last week, I think it is an easy stereotype to have a crack at him and as a coach I evaluate what is in the game not what is written or tweeted, or whatever, you know what I mean. So I just analyse what’s in the game, what can this player can do for us in our system, we see some improvements we can make in him over the next few weeks that will get him playing better in our system there, but eh, I’m really comfortable with selecting him, I don’t think there was a question for me in that.”
Though giving 2011 World Cup captain James Horwill a run during the Rugby Championship, Cheika has omitted the Queensland Reds lock from his squad, opting for former Europe-based pair Dean Mumm and Kane Douglas along with Rob Simmons and Will Skelton in the second row.
Wingers Joe Tomane and Rob Horne were also selected, joining Fiji-born Henry Speight and France-based Drew Mitchell in the Wallabies’ outside backs.
“Well, the selection was based on all the four matches plus what we’ve seen in Super Rugby plus a bit of history,” Cheika said on how he arrived at his squad.
“You know, you sort of weight everything according to what you need and the balance you need of some guys in form, some guys still with improvements to make and try to get that balance right too so we looked over the four games in the [Rugby] Championship backed into the Super Rugby and the Spring Tour of last year as well and we made the decisions that we feel give us the best balanced team for the draw that we have going forward.”
Australia won the abridged Rugby Championship with three successive victories against South Africa, Argentina and New Zealand, but came down to earth with a thud last week after a mauling by the world champion All Blacks at Eden Park.
They play a final warm-up match against the United States in Chicago on Sept. 5 before their World Cup opener against Pacific Nations Cup champions Fiji on Sept. 23.
“Look, I think, the World Cup’s obviously the pinnacle of our game and it requires you to play seven games in a row at your absolute best and that’s something we’re really going to have to do right from the start,” added captain Stephen Moore.
“You know, Fiji are playing really well at the moment so that’s a good start for us, we’re going to have to be right on our game right from the start so, I think, ultimately the best team will win the World Cup so if we go over there and show that we’ll get what we want.”
Another 10 players, including Horwill and White, will join the World Cup squad for a training camp in Indiana ahead of the U.S. match.
