Veteran duo set to return as ACT Brumbies turn to young props

The veteran will miss Friday night's crucial clash with the Melbourne Rebels at Canberra Stadium after injuring his calf in Saturday's loss to the Chiefs.

Alaalatoa went for a scan on Monday and is likely to be out for at least a couple of weeks. Brumbies officials are hopeful he will be back during the finals.

It's not all negative, however, with Wallabies Nic White and Cadeyrn Neville set to return for the regular season finale.

White has missed the past two weeks with an SC-joint injury, while Neville has not played since the loss to the Hurricanes in round 10 with a knee injury.

The pair's return will provide a major boost on the field and while they will be without Alaalatoa on the field, Fisher said he will still play a key role in the Brumbies' preparation for Friday's match.

"He definitely won't play this week and we'll see out of the scans how long [he'll be out]," Fisher said. "With tighthead props and calves, you'd suggest there's potentially more than a week in it. That's a big hole to fill, his leadership off the field this week will be hugely important for us.

"Then it's up to Sefo Kautai, Rhys van Nek or Tom Ross, whichever two of those three gets the opportunity, they need to step up."

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The trio have been rotated into the ACT lineup throughout the season as coach Stephen Larkham has sought to build depth in his squad.

Kautai replaced Alaalatoa in Saturday's loss to the Chiefs while van Nek was impressive in Uni-Norths' dominant victory over Queanbeyan in the John I Dent Cup.

The emerging prop was given the opportunity to take the week off, but opted to turn out for his club. Van Nek is in the midst of a breakout year that's seen him feature in 10 Super Rugby games and earn a call up to Eddie Jones' initial Wallabies training squad.

So while Alaalatoa is a big loss, Fisher said the youngsters are ready to step up.

"They've had a good taste of it and a taste against good opposition," he said. "Some of the guys that don't play a lot, they've played against the Crusaders, they've played against the Hurricanes. They've played against good teams and they've learned a lot out of those games.

"I'm confident that we'll turn up on Friday night in a great frame of mind at home and we'll springboard ourselves into a finals campaign."

Alaalatoa wasn't the only Brumby to leave Saturday's loss to the Chiefs early, with Lachlan Lonergan (shoulder) and Tamati Tua (hamstring) suffering injuries.

The duo are likely to be fit for Friday's clash, however could be rested to ensure they are available for the finals.

The Brumbies will closely monitor Lonergan and Tua throughout the next couple of days before making a final decision.

The team has depth in both positions, with hooker Connal McInerney and centre Hudson Creighton recently making successful returns from injury.

"It's another 24 to 48 hours [before we have more information]," Fisher said. "There's a few guys banged up. [Lachlan] Lonergan didn't come out for the second half. I don't think there's anything serious.

"For a lot of guys it's more likely to affect their training week than their availability for selection [on Friday]."

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