Tom Ross says he's ready to shoulder the load required to be a Super Rugby tighthead prop when the ACT Brumbies get the green light to resume games.
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Ross looms as the man to replace Brumbies skipper Allan Alaalatoa, who will miss at least six weeks after breaking his arm last weekend.
The Canberra junior is playing a waiting game for now, with no clear timeframe for when or if his opportunity will come because of the Super Rugby coronavirus suspension.
But he has vowed to step up if and when he is called on to fill the No. 3 jersey, which could be for a new-look format in the coming weeks.
Alaalatoa was the competition's hardest-working tighthead prop until he was forced to leave the field in pain against the NSW Waratahs.
It thrust Ross into the action in just his sixth game, forcing him to play 51 minutes in a massive jump from the 13 minutes per game he averaged in his first five appearances.
"The first thing that came to mind was to just get involved. I got sprung into a couple of carries and it threw me into the game," Ross said.
"[George Gregan spoke] about always being prepared, always being ready. You put the hard work in during the week, so when the opportunity comes you're ready to go.
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"[Alaalatoa's shoes] are massive shoes to fill, like size 15. I'm not up to that yet, but we've been putting in the hard work during pre-season to be in a position if you're thrown in the deep end, boys can turn up and perform when told to."
Ross suffered knee and back injuries last year, but shed 10 kilograms in the pre-season to get himself fit for Super Rugby.
The Brumbies players will continue training as though they were playing games in the coming weeks to ensure they're ready to restart their season whenever they're told to do so.
They lead the Australian conference by 10 points and are second on the overall standings after their equal best star to a season in 16 years.
"We've got to keep training, keep putting in the hard work because it could spring up in two weeks [that we're playing]," Ross said.