Suspensions and injuries rock the Wallabies

That Michael Hooper will miss the Wales game after admitting his shoulder charge offence on England’s Mike Brown could be a headline to concern Australian rugby fans.

In my opinion it’s the total opposite - I cannot wait to see Sean McMahon in action. Here is a young player who has emerged in the last 12 months as the new generation for Australian rugby.

He came to the Australian rugby fan's attention in 2012 playing for their Under-20 team but at the start of the 2014 season he was contracted to Melbourne Rising; the newly founded team for the National Rugby Championship (NRC).

He was to move into the full Melbourne Rebels team. In just two seasons he won the Buildcorp NRC Player of the Year, the Qantas Wallabies Rookie of the Year and the Super Rugby Rookie of the Year. These are top draw credentials.

He has similar experiences in 7s rugby and it’s the combination of the skills he developed in 7s with his back row experience that excite me ahead of the Wales came. Wales coach Rob Howley remarked that: “McMahon was outstanding against us in the autumn series.”

I am more concerned about the Australian back three and whether or not Israel Folau will be fit; the Australian assistant coach Stephen Larkham saying, "He’s still on the injured list but we’re still hoping he can be turned around in a week or so."

Folau is a remarkable player who has a skill set unlike any other in the game today. This is partly his natural athleticism but his experiences playing AFL and NRL at the elite level. If it’s just the Wales game he misses then the team will cope; if it goes beyond the one game it could be problematic for the Wallabies.

Winger Rob Horne is also an injury concern, Larkham saying he is "most likely not going to play."