ACT Brumbies prop Allan Alaalatoa concedes the wear and tear of front-row will cause him to miss the start of the Super Rugby Pacific season, confident the younger boys can fill the leadership void.
The Brumbies announced the world-class prop will on the sidelines on Friday, leaving the club without the veteran Wallaby and fullback Tom Wright ahead of their February 14 opener against the Western Force.
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The 31-year-old admits his return date is unknown as doctors try to identify the root of his problems.
“It’s something that I probably carried throughout the back end of last year and had to get some professional advice over the break and got a couple of scans," Alaalatoa told reporters as Rugby Australia announced a partnership with Castore.
“The advice was just to take some time and make sure that it heals appropriately because I want to come back into employment 100% and try to contribute the best way I can.
“...I think what the scans were telling me was just the 13th year of playing footy at tight-head prop, so there's a bit going on in there. I guess that's why the professional advice was that it just needs time to heal. There are a number of things going on there. They couldn't put their finger on one thing. Again, it was just from the position that I played over the course of my career.
“They're trying to stay away from targeting around and probably just going off the field, [probably] not something that I'm used to. I always like having an end goal to try and get back.
“For me it's just to take a few weeks at a time and just to see how I've been pulling up after each training and then if going well I can continue to increase my load."
The back injury plagued Alaalatoa throughout the 2025 Test season, starting just once on the Spring Tour.
“That was probably most of the frustrating part towards the back end of last year," he laments.
“I felt like I probably wasn't as effective as I could have been due to the body so I just want to make sure that I'm taking the time to get right so I can contribute the best way.”
It leaves the Brumbies without a host of experienced campaigners from last year, with Noah Lolesio, Tom Hooper and Len Ikitau among several to head overseas.
“I think it's definitely going to be a great opportunity for some of those young blokes to step in," Alalaatoa believes.
“A lot of them are probably going to get their [first] taste of Super Rugby, not just for one or two games, but to consistently stay in there and to get that experience.
“We had that Super Rugby AUS competition towards the back end of last year that a lot of them were playing in. I guess the way that our squad is looking, it's just that time of the year where we've lost a lot of international experienced players but then again, you're gaining a lot of younger guys who are keen to put the jersey on and to get the experience.
“That transition is going to be good for us. It's been a whole fresh new look for us throughout the Brumbies pre-season. But the energy is high and the boys are keen to hop in to the first trial next week and play well."
