Australia

He was the bolter in Michael Cheika's Rugby World Cup squad and Sean McMahon will finally get the chance to show why he was worthy of that selection when he runs out against the United States this weekend.

McMahon has been named in a new-look back-row alongside Wycliff Palu and Ben McCalman for the Soldier Field clash with the likely first-choice trio of Michael Hooper, David Pocock and Scott Fardy all having a rest.

That will be the furthest thing from McMahon's mind though after he failed to play a single minute during Australia's recent Rugby Championship triumph; but that didn't stop Cheika from backing the Melbourne Rebels back-rower, and he now has the chance to prove why he made the 31-man cut.

"Yeah I'm super excited to finally get a start this year," McMahon said. "It's a great game to get a start in as well, Soldier Field, the first time we'll ever get to play 15s in America so I'm pretty excited for that."

When questioned why McMahon had been preferred to an extra hooker or half-back at the recent World Cup squad announcement, Cheika said it was because it gave him the chance to run two teams against each other at training.

But the coach also highlighted the 21-year-old's high workrate and the "energy" he brought to the group.

"Yeah I bring energy into everything I do," McMahon said. "I try to give 110% and, yeah, it's bringing high energy at training, games, just anything really."

Sean McMahon's high work-rate will test the Eagles' defence © Alyssa Schukar for ESPN

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While the Wallabies are expected to run up a score against the Eagles, the match will offer a few fringe players the chance to show their wares ahead of the World Cup opener against Fiji. McMahon said there would be no complacency from the Australians and that the team was focused on their own execution.

"(We're) basically just focusing on ourselves, our plays, just execution, passing; but also when it comes to defence, line speed, getting up; not giving them anything," he said.

"It's a very important match; you know we've got the World Cup just around the corner. As I said, we're just focusing on ourselves and trying to get ready for the World Cup so we can be dominant in our pool and we have just got to, as I've said before, we've got to execute."

ESPN is proud to announce an exclusive 1-hour special - Chieka's Wallabies: Hope of a Nation - premiering on ESPN Weds Sept 9 at 9pm AEST (11pm NZ). ESPNscrum's leading rugby expert Greg Growden goes one-on-on with the Wallabies coach in this exclusive special that gives a rare insight into the intriguing personality of Australia's head coach.