Aidan Ross is one big game away from All Blacks selection

Having strung two seasons of uninterrupted rugby together, Aidan Ross looks destined to be rewarded with an All Blacks call-up next week.

Ross, the formidable loosehead prop, has been knocking on the national selectors’ door for some time now and was a called into camp last season when injuries struck the squad during the July test series. While Ross never managed to find his way onto the park – and didn’t travel with the squad once they set off on their off-shore odyssey in August – his selection emphasised how high up the 26-year-old was in the national pecking order.

Time and time again over the better part of the last four years, the All Blacks selectors have spoken of the need for their front-rowers to be dynamic with the ball in hand, as well as strong at the set-piece. While Ian Foster and co obviously had one eye on the Chiefs loosehead last season, they will have been lasering in on how Ross fits the mould of a test rugby prop throughout the 2022 – starting with his indominable performances at scrum time.

Ross has been part of an impressive Chiefs tight-five that has rarely taken a step backwards throughout their campaign to date. In fact, it’s been a key weapon for the team this year, one the Chiefs have regularly relied upon to earn them penalties or free players during the season.

“Some of our work in training is harder than what we’re getting at times in games,” Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan said earlier in the season regarding his side’s formidable set-piece. “And that’s not to say there aren’t some bloody good scrums out there, but we just don’t feel like we have to play silly buggers to get rewarded at scrum time.

“We’re happy to go there and challenge teams … The other thing we’re probably the best at is we’re the most disciplined team in the competition. There’s no need to wheel when you've got a lot of confidence in your scrum, you just scrum square over the ball, you just be prepared to scrum for as long as a referee allows you to scrum.

“It's always a ding-dong battle but our scrum has continued to be a real strength of ours,” he added this week ahead of the semi-final clash between the Chiefs and Crusaders.

“But we've had the odd slip up, we've lost a bit of concentration and opposition teams have exploited that so it's just another lesson for us that one good scrum doesn't guarantee a scrum the next time, you've just got to keep in the grind and go through the process.”

Of the myriad players in contention for spots in the All Blacks front row, Ross, Joe Moody, Nepo Laulala and Karl Tu’inukuafe are the only players to have not copped any penalties at scrum time this season. With 14 appearances and 12 starts under his belt this year, Ross concedes the fewest scrum penalties per minute played.

In terms of his play around the park, Ross hits an above average number of rucks for a prop and is also regularly one of the first players to the breakdown in order to maintain possession.

It’s his link play that has probably impressed the most in recent times, however. He and fellow Chiefs front-rower Angus Ta’avao have regularly been involved in sweeping back line plays and, although they’re unsurprisingly not the men making the runs, they’ve thrown inch-perfect passes when called upon and not stymied attacking opportunities through a lack of sleight of hand.

The All Blacks called upon the services of eight props last season: Joe Moody, George Bower, Ethan de Groot, Karl Tu’inukuafe, Nepo Laulala, Ofa Tuungafasi, Angus Ta’avao and Tyrel Lomax. In all likelihood, six or seven will be named next Monday for the All Blacks’ first squad of the season.

Of the above group, Moody is injured and Tu’inukuafe is heading overseas, which rules them out of contention. Add the likes of Alex Hodgman, Ollie Norris, Tamaiti Williams, Oli Jager and Fletcher Newell into the mix, and there’s ample competition for propping spots.

While Tuungafasi has been one of the best performers across the park this year, he was under the pump against youngster De Groot in last weekend’s quarter-final fixture between the Blues and Highlanders. With senior prop Moody out of the equation, the selectors will likely retain the experienced Laulala. Bower, meanwhile, was effectively the All Blacks’ second-choice loosehead behind Moody last season, starting six matches in the No 1 jersey, but could still find his position under pressure due to the performances of Hodgman and Ross throughout 2022.

It’s likely that Ross has his nose ahead of Hodgman at present but performances in the Super Rugby Pacific semi-finals could sway the selectors one way or another. De Groot is the only prop in contention for a spot that won’t feature this weekend but it’s likely his impressive work against the Blues last week will have him penned in to feature in July.

Normally at this time of year Ross has found himself sidelined due to injury and hasn’t had the opportunity to press his claims for selection. Last year, after 11 appearances for the Chiefs, he fought his way into the All Blacks squad – albeit temporarily. In 2022, with 14 appearances to his name, it’s likely that the 26-year-old will go one better.