The Brumbies have confirmed that Allan Alaalatoa will miss the start of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season as he continues his rehabilitation from a back injury.<\/p>\n
The injury is an ongoing issue which the experienced Wallabies front-row and Brumbies skipper has been battling with over the past six months.<\/p>\n
The Brumbies<\/a>\u00a0will kick off their Super Rugby Pacific<\/a> campaign against the Western Force in Perth on Saturday, February 14.<\/p>\n After consultation with the Brumbies\u2019 and Rugby Australia\u2019s medical staff and specialists, it has been agreed that Alaalatoa<\/a>\u2018s back issue requires ongoing rehabilitation.<\/p>\n Big blow for the Brumbies<\/p>\n Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham<\/a> admitted that being without Alaalatoa\u2019s services will be a setback for the Canberra-based outfit.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s disappointing Allan won\u2019t be available for the start of the season, but it also provides an opportunity for the other props in our program to step up and perform for the Brumbies,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know Allan will continue to provide his leadership and experience to the group to help them prepare.<\/p>\n \u201cHe is the ultimate professional and will be doing everything he can to be back on the field as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Alaalatoa revealed that he is unsure when he will return to action as doctors are trying to identify the root cause of his ongoing injury.<\/p>\n NRL star sets sights on Wallabies \u2018dream\u2019 after agreeing terms on Waratahs switch<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s 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,\u201d he told reporters.<\/p>\n \u2018I want to come back into employment 100%\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cThe 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI think what the scans were telling me was just the 13th year of playing footy at tighthead prop, so there\u2019s a bit going on in there. I guess that\u2019s why the professional advice was that it just needs time to heal.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a number of things going on there. They couldn\u2019t put their finger on one thing. Again, it was just from the position that I played over the course of my career.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re trying to stay away from targeting around and probably just going off the field, [probably] not something that I\u2019m used to. I always like having an end goal to try and get back.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me it\u2019s just to take a few weeks at a time and just to see how I\u2019ve been pulling up after each training and then if going well I can continue to increase my load.\u201d<\/p>\n Alaalatoa\u2019s injury plagued him throughout the 2025 international season, and he made just one start for the Wallabies<\/a> during last year\u2019s Autumn Nations Series.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was probably most of the frustrating part towards the back end of last year,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt like I probably wasn\u2019t as effective as I could have been due to the body so I just want to make sure that I\u2019m taking the time to get right so I can contribute the best way.\u201d<\/p>\n Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for world-class coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n