Wallabies lock Williams’ verdict on ex-All Black’s place in squad

Jeremy Williams has already noticed how hard Aidan Ross trains, with the former All Blacks prop joining the Wallabies squad in Sydney ahead of the final Test against the British & Irish Lions on Saturday evening.

Australia-born Ross was called into the Wallabies for the first time this week following an injury to Harry Potter, with the front-rower recently completing the mandatory three-year stand-down period after playing for the All Blacks in 2022.

Ross enjoyed a successful career across the ditch in New Zealand which included more than 100 appearances for the Chiefs in Super Rugby, impressive performances for Bay of Plenty in the NPC, and one appearance for the All Blacks XV.

Bok Women star Libbie Janse van Rensburg talks about backline progress

Bok Women star Libbie Janse van Rensburg talks about backline progress

While Ross didn’t receive a fairytale finish with the Chiefs earlier this year, having come on as a replacement in the Super Rugby Pacific Grand Final, another chapter in the 29-year-old’s career awaited with the Queensland Reds.

Ross played against the Lions on debut for the Reds and again for the AUNZ Invitational XV two-and-a-half weeks ago. Following an injury to Potter, Ross was called into the Wallabies for the first time, and the former All Black is already making an impact.

“Yeah firstly he’s a great bloke and he trains really hard,” Williams told reporters in Sydney.

“He’s been in a few different systems now so I’m sure he’s going to add a lot of value to the group.

“He’s been going really hard so it’s great to have him.”

While Ross has come into the top squad, the Wallabies have received a significant blow ahead of the final Test of the Lions series. Alaalatoa has been ruled out of the series finale, suffering a shoulder injury during last weekend’s 29-26 defeat at the MCG.

In a brief statement on social media at about 8:00 am AEST, the Wallabies confirmed Alaalatoa would miss the Test, following reports from The Roar that the former national skipper was out. It’s a significant loss for a team looking to avoid unwanted history.

“He’s a massive part of the group,” Williams said of Alaalatoa.

“You just see the work he puts in on the field and off the field as well.

“He’s a massive part of the group and we just wish him the best in his recovery and hopefully he’ll be back out there soon.”

The Lions clinched the series with a dramatic last-gasp Hugo Keenan try at the ‘G, but they will have their sights set on more history this week. They haven’t swept a Test series in Australia since 1904 but that could potentially change in 80 minutes of rugby.

After winning Tests in Brisbane and Melbourne, the Lions will go into this weekend’s Sydney Test as firm favourites, but the Wallabies are building. Australia showed signs of promise during last year’s Spring Tour and fell agonisingly short of an upset win last time out.

“I think you’ve probably seen a lot of growth since Joe’s come in,” he added.

“We want to reach our potential and I think in patches of the game on the weekend we’re really good. There’s still always opportunities that we could’ve taken.

“It’s just about building that each week and getting better and making sure that we’re taking those opportunities more often.”