Sean McMahon has joined the Wallabies squad and instantly hit the ground running.
McMahon has come out of quarantine and Wallabies coach Dave Rennie is impressed with his fitness levels after joining the squad this week.
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“JP (John Pryor) our trainer put him through a pretty tough workout yesterday, which he was really impressed with, he is in fantastic condition," he told reporters on Thursday.
"JP’s report was he reckons he will be the fittest in the team, he certainly is in consideration for next week."
Over his quarantine period, McMahon was fortunate enough to have his hotel room converted into a gym, allowing him to train and condition his body to the best of his high ability for the upcoming Test matches.
McMahon is returning from a 5-year stint in Japan with the Suntory Sungoliath.
He will be looking to perform at a high-class level just like his teammates Kerevi and Cooper, who have both excelled in their return to the Wallabies after their own stints in Japan.
McMahon has not pulled on the gold jersey since 2017, something Rennie finds disappointing given his talent.
“He is an incredibly destructive defensively player, has excellent skills, such a dynamic athlete and a high-quality player," he said.
"It’s really disappointing he played a lot of tests and left at such a young age, Australian fans have missed out on watching him play a lot more test footy.
"He’s been working hard in the isolation ‘gym’ but he’s also done a lot of study around our structures, and he’s been able to come out and hit the ground running, which has been really impressive.”
With his return to the squad, Rennie believes he is certainly a consideration for next week's test against the Pumas at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville.
However, if McMahon does return to the starting line-up who would he replace?
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Will he take his place at number eight and have Valetini on the bench, who has been playing at a high level throughout the Rugby Championship? Or will he fit into blindside flanker and create a hard-working powerful pair with captain Michael Hooper?
Nevertheless, Rennie is happy to have McMahon back in the squad creating further depth in the back row.
“It's a tough role from him because he is playing behind a skipper who is playing fantastic footy," he added.
"Sean gives you genuine cover, we are using Pete Samu at the moment with the genuine cover.
"It’s good to have a bit of depth, as we have talked about you get a couple injuries, you are a bit limited where you get a couple of players from, it’s certainly great to have Sean back in the mix”
