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Former All Black called into Wallabies squad ahead of final Lions Test
By Finn Morton reporting from Sydney
Former All Blacks prop Aidan Ross has been called into the Wallabies squad ahead of the final Test against the British & Irish Lions at Sydney’s Accor Stadium on Saturday.
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Australia-born Ross played more than 100 games for the Chiefs during a memorable career in New Zealand, which included two Test appearances for the All Blacks in 2022.
Ross had been called into New Zealand’s top squad as injury cover ahead of a Test against Fiji in 2021 but the front-rower didn’t take the field. That opportunity would come 12 months later against Andy Farrell’s Ireland, who defeated the All Blacks in both of Ross’ Tests.
After lining up for Bay of Plenty in the NPC and the Chiefs for another three seasons, Ross made the move across the ditch, signing a multi-year deal with the Queensland Reds. The 29-year-old recently impressed on debut for the Reds, starting against the Lions at Suncorp Stadium.
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Ross recently suited up for the AUNZ Invitational XV against the Lions at Adelaide Oval, and has been rewarded with a maiden call-up into the Wallabies. The Wallabies confirmed the squad update on Sunday, after Potter was ruled out of the third Test.
Potter limped off the field about 20 minutes into last weekend’s dramatic 29-26 loss to the Lions at the MCG, with halfback Tate McDermott playing most of the match on the edge. McDermott turned heads with an impressive performance, including some memorable carries.
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While the Wallabies were beaten, with Hugo Kennan crossing for a series-winning try in the final minute for the tourists, they’ll have one more shot at the Lions. As Allan Alaalatoa said post-game – who is under an injury cloud himself – “the Australian way is you never back down.”
“It’s a dead rubber, but we are still going out there wearing a Wallaby jersey, representing our country and representing our family,” Alaalatoa told reporters.
“And we want to go out there and put on a good performance that everyone can be proud of. The disappointment that we are feeling now – we will definitely be using that to feed us throughout the whole week.
“It’s our third game in and we want to keep growing and getting better every week. The boys are gutted that we didn’t come away with that win, but look back and see, as a team, we are growing.
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“Our performance was a massive step forward since last week. There will be moments where we can look back and learn. We have grown from where we were last year against Wales. We have come a massive way.”
