'I wouldn't write it off': Ex-Wallabies star Sean McMahon reveals plans for World Cup, Super Rugby and Olympics
It has been little more than three years since Sean McMahon packed his bags and left Australia as he opened a new chapter in his career with Suntory Sungoliath.
Not long after playing in his 26th and last test for the Wallabies, a 53-24 defeat to Scotland in November 2017, the then-23-year-old departed for Tokyo, much to the dismay of fans across Australia.
That says a lot about the quality of the rugged loose forward, who, despite his age at the time of his jettison, was an integral figure in Michael Cheika’s set-up during his time with the Wallabies.
McMahon’s ability was also reflected in the accolades he had garnered at the time of his exit from Australian rugby.
After debuting for the Wallabies as a 20-year-old in 2014, he went on to claim Wallabies Rookie of the Year in 2015, Melbourne Rebels Player of the Year in both 2015 and 2016, and was Australia’s Super Rugby Player of the Year in 2016.
It was little surprise, then, to see him start in all but three of Australia’s 14 tests in his final season with the Wallabies, and it was equally as unsurprising to see fans Down Under disappointed at his decision to join the Top League juggernauts.
McMahon’s move to Japan wasn’t without reason, though, as the wear and tear of jumping through the ranks in rapid succession immediately out of high school quickly caught up with him.
“That first season, when I first came, when I first signed my year-and-a-bit contract, it was more to give my body a bit of a break,” McMahon told RugbyPass from Tokyo.
“Straight out of school, I played sevens, and then went straight into Super Rugby and then Wallabies, and I was probably fading a bit, but I loved the physicality of Super Rugby.
“I just went for a bit of a change and obviously kind of stayed on. I enjoy it over here.”
Having signed a contract extension that will keep him with the five-time Top League champions until March 2023 is indicative of how much McMahon is enjoying his spell in Japan, although the disruptions brought on by COVID-19 have proved difficult.
Last year’s edition of the competition was cancelled as a result of the pandemic, and this year’s campaign has already been delayed by three weeks following a virus breakout within the competition, which has impacted seven players at Suntory.
As a result, McMahon won’t be able to play his first competitive game in almost a year until next month at the earliest, but the strong foreign presence in Japan has made dealing with the mayhem easier.
“For us at Suntory, we live in the same building as the Canon Eagles, and I know Ed Quirk, who’s there, Bondy [Canon fullback Michael Bond], so get to catch up with those boys every now and then, and got a few boys throughout the other teams.
“I’ve got a real good mate, Liam Gill, he’s over at NTT Communications Shining Arcs, so there’s a few players throughout the competition. Now it’s going to depend on what the team’s policies become.”
That’s not even taking into account the large number of Australians and Kiwis at his own club, such as Samu Kerevi, Will Chambers, Jordan Smiler, Tevita Li and, of course, new star recruit Beauden Barrett.
“He’s been a big injection, obviously bringing a fair bit of experience with him to give to us and the team and Suntory in general,” McMahon said of the All Blacks playmaker and two-time World Rugby Player of the Year.
“We’ve had a couple of trial games with him, so he’s just finding his feet within the team and getting the job done. It’s been good to have him here.”
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McMahon said those trial games – which included wins over Toyota Verblitz, Toshiba Brave Lupus and the Panasonic Wild Knights, as well as a loss to the Canon Eagles – have helped lay the foundations for the season ahead.
That’s important for a side widely considered to be frontrunners for this year’s Top League championship, given the breadth of talent and offshore recruits evident throughout their squad.
However, since first arriving in Tokyo, McMahon has noticed a vast improvement from Japan’s homegrown players, which he believes stems from the success of the Brave Blossoms at the past two World Cups.
While Japanese rugby is renowned for its high-tempo, running-focused style of play, McMahon said it was the physicality from the local players that has helped both propel Japan to global prominence and grow the game domestically.
“They’re just wanting it more, the physicality,” he told RugbyPass.
“What they’re doing in the gym, what they’re bringing on the field, it’s definitely ramped up since I first got here, and they’re wanting to get better in that department and I think it’s showing for them internationally as well.
“I know for our team, a lot of Japanese players are excelling at it, which gives us an edge over a few other teams.”
As Japan continues to grow in leaps and bounds in the test arena and within their premier club competition, it begs the question as to how the country’s best clubs would fare if given a crack at Super Rugby.
Former Wallabies and Crusaders coach Robbie Deans recently spoke about how he believes the top six teams from the Top League would be competitive in the southern hemisphere tournament, of which is undergoing significant reform due to COVID-19.
Although Japan’s only involvement in Super Rugby came via the Sunwolves, the loveably woeful franchise that stumbled to nine wins from 68 matches, McMahon said there is still plenty of potential for Japanese inclusion in any future iteration of Super Rugby.
“If they could make it work, it’d be unreal,” McMahon, who was due to play for the Sunwolves in 2019 before a foot injury ruled him out for the season, said.
“I’ve been here a few years now, and to have a Japanese team, or even if you could figure out how to get a couple of the club sides to battle it out here and then maybe they jump in that season or work to some kind of platform like that, I think it’d be great, not just for Japanese rugby, but for Super Rugby as well.
“I know the Sunwolves had a couple of rough seasons, but I think it’s a shame to not have the Japanese part of that Super Rugby, especially with the amount of devotion the fans are getting here for rugby as well.”
Regardless of whether Japan will be welcomed back into the Super Rugby fraternity, McMahon is eager to see how the new-look competition, featuring only New Zealand and Australian franchises this year, will pan out.
“Obviously New Zealand’s had the teams to beat in Super Rugby for a long time, so it’s going to be very interesting to see how we match up with each other over just a Trans-Tasman competition, and with a little less travel in regards to having to go over to South Africa.”
McMahon added that travelling to Africa was a highlight of the old Super Rugby format that will be missed, but he is optimistic of what the new competition holds.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’ve missed the ol’ heading over to South Africa for a couple of weeks, as pretty much every player in Super Rugby will. That used to be a good tour over there with the boys, on and off the field.
“But, I think it’s going to be interesting to see what happens with that Trans-Tasman competition, because there’s a lot of talent throughout Australia and New Zealand to see how we match up with each other after kind of getting our footing together with the AU and Aotearoa competitions.”
You’d be forgiven for thinking that McMahon will take extra note of how his former side, the Rebels, will perform in both the Super Rugby AU and Super Rugby Trans-Tasman competitions this year.
However, as he pointed out, most of those he played alongside during his four-season stint in Melbourne have since departed, largely thanks to the influx of Western Force players following their axing from Super Rugby in 2017.
In fact, only three players – Marika Koroibete, Reece Hodge and Jordan Uelese – have been remained at AAMI Park since McMahon’s defection, but that doesn’t mean he has ruled out a return to Victoria.
“I wouldn’t write it off the books,” McMahon said.
“I love Melbourne as a place to live, and the team and the Rebels and the people that were there, but it’d be all about what fits well for my family and myself if I were to go back and how things would work and set-up.”
That will be music to the ears of Wallabies fans, who have endured three fruitless seasons without their star loose forward, but will have to wait a further two years before he comes off contract with Suntory.
McMahon has made it crystal clear, however, that he still harbours a desire to don the green and gold jersey once again.
“I would love to go back to Australia and have another crack there. I’ve always wanted to put the gold jersey back on and have another crack, so it’s definitely not off the books for me.
“I would definitely be keen to get back down and have a crack one more time to see if I can still crack it back there, see if I’ve still got what it takes to be at the highest level.
“It’s definitely something I see myself doing, and if that’s a chance to potentially go back before the World Cup and have a crack, I’d definitely keep that on the books for me, for sure.”
A second World Cup appearance isn’t the only thing that McMahon has expressed an interest in in recent years, with the 26-year-old making himself available for the Australian sevens side leading into the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
That led to his first outing for the national sevens team in five years when he took to the field at the 2019 Cape Town Sevens.
But, with COVID-19 postponing the Olympics until July and August this year, McMahon remains uncertain about his future in the abbreviated format of the game.
“I haven’t had a lot of thought about that at present. I think anyone would still be keen to have a crack at the Olympics. It’s a pretty big feat to have that opportunity,” he said.
“I’ve been to a Commonwealth Games, and I guess to tick a box of going to the Olympics, that’s something you get to have for the rest of your life, that memory if you do get to go.
“I would love to go, but my focus right now is trying to get through this current stage of Top League and get back into playing some genuine footy, because we’ve only played a couple of trials and there’s been so many months of just training.
“At this point in time, I’d just rather play footy than think about what’s going on ahead.”
Should he decide to pursue an Olympic gold medal, he could be joined by one of his good mates in the form of ex-Wallabies flanker and former sevens veteran Liam Gill.
“I’ve chatted to him every now and again and he’s said he’d be keen to have a crack if he could still get around on the sevens field.”
Until then, though, mounting a challenge for the Top League crown remains paramount for McMahon, who is intent on adding to the title he won in his first season with Suntory Sungoliath three years ago.
“We’ve put a lot of effort into this pre-season, and as much as the competition has been suspended for a couple of weeks now, I think my main priority with a lot of the boys here is another championship and fighting our way for that.
“That’s kind of the number one priority for me at this point in time.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Bold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
61 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
8 Go to comments