The ACT Brumbies will consult new Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt to manage Allan Alaalatoa's comeback from injury, revealing the club delayed his return by six weeks to ensure he was right to go.
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Alaalatoa will play his first game in nine months when he suits up for the clash against the Wellington Hurricanes on Saturday to take the first steps in his redemption journey.
A ruptured Achilles tendon ruined his World Cup plans last year and forced him to miss the first nine weeks of the Super Rugby campaign.
Alaalatoa's initial recovery time frame was supposed to see him back on the field in round four, but Brumbies staff opted to give him extra time to minimise the risk of repeat injuries.
Coach Stephen Larkham has also alleviated him of the captaincy responsibilities and will monitor is time on the field in consultation with Schmidt's staff.
"It's been a long road for Allan, but he's ready to go," Larkham said.
"We held him back and he's very keen to get out there. We're conscious of the amount of time that he'll spend on the field [given] it's his first game after nine months out.
"We have to be conscious that he can't play [75-80 minutes per game] straight away. It's guided by Rugby Australia as well, it's not just a decision we make because he's a player of national interest. We're conscious of their time frames and how long they want him to play.
"The original return date was around round four and it got pushed to round 10. There was a bit of anxiety around getting back out there. He's been wanting [to play] since round four, so it's been a challenge."
The return of Alaalatoa for the first time this season, and back-line duo Len Ikitau and Andy Muirhead for the first time in more than a month, is a major boost for the Brumbies as they look to atone for being "embarrassed" last weekend.
Larkham didn't bother sugarcoating the record loss to the Auckland Blues, challenging his players to bounce back for an even bigger test this week.
The Hurricanes are undefeated this year and sit at the top of the table. Larkham expects the intensity to rise and is confident his players are ready for the challenge despite two big Kiwi losses this year.
Australian teams are now well beyond the trans-Tasman drought that engulfed all of them several years ago. In fact, the five Australian teams have won a combined seven of 15 matches against New Zealand teams this year.
As a collective they have already bettered last year's effort, when the benchmark Brumbies, NSW Waratahs, Queensland Reds, Melbourne Rebels and Western Force managed just six wins from a combined 30 matches.
That 20 per cent winning strike rate in 2023 was an improvement on two decades of NZ beat-downs that includes a humiliating combined low of none-from-31 return against the Crusaders, Chiefs, Blues, Hurricanes and Highlanders in 2017.
The Brumbies this year, however, have won just one of three. Their two losses were by 39 and 34 points.
"I think there was a fair bit of disappointment and embarrassment from the game last weekend," Larkham said.
"We probably took it up a notch in terms of physicality [at training] and we know that's needed this weekend.
"[The Hurricanes] have X-factor across the park. You go through their whole roster, everyone of them is a dangerous ball-carrier.
"They've probably got a few more trick plays and a little bit more skill in their game ... they'll challenge us."
Super Rugby will host an Anzac round this weekend with five trans-Tasman clashes.