Simply days after Aidan Ross turned the fifth participant to play for the Wallabies and All Blacks, the fourth particular person to affix that unique membership, Alex Hodgman, has hung up the boots.
The 32-year-old performed 4 Exams for the All Blacks in 2020, earlier than signing with the Reds forward of the 2024 season and going onto characterize the Wallabies as soon as beneath Joe Schmidt towards Georgia.
“For me, organising my household has all the time been an important factor. I needed to style one thing totally different in Queensland and we positively did that with a very good expertise,” Hodgman stated in a press release.
“In the end, NZ is my house. I had numerous enjoyable enjoying footy. You realize when it’s time to complete up.”
Alex Hodgman turned the fourth participant to play for the Wallabies and All Blacks after debuting towards Georgia in Sydney on July 20, 2024. (Picture by Jason McCawley/Getty Photos)
Hodgman performed 80 Tremendous Rugby matches, together with 15 for the Reds.
His expertise and high quality led to Schmidt handing him his first Check cap for the Wallabies in July, 2024.
Making his return to the worldwide sport all of the extra particular was that it got here after the injury-plagued prop thought of retirement.
“Loads of tears, eh. I’m not an old-school man. I’m [a] new [age] man,” stated Hodgman, after being requested to replicate on his loopy previous 12 months.
“To be trustworthy, there have been numerous moments final 12 months, particularly being injured with the Blues, I really thought of retirement. My spouse just about acquired me by all of it. She’s my rock and all the pieces. I wouldn’t be sitting in entrance of you at present with out her.”
On turning into the fourth participant to play for the All Blacks and Wallabies, Hodgman stated it was “superb”.
“Clearly, it’s fairly a small group,” Hodgman mirrored.
“I’m simply blessed with nice gamers round me and an awesome teaching workers.”
Alex Hodgman and Richie Mo’unga of the All Blacks have a good time beating the Wallabies at Eden Park on October 18, 2020 in Auckland. (Picture by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Photos)
Curiously although, Hodgman wasn’t sighted beneath Schmidt once more regardless of being match and out there.
His slide into the worldwide wilderness got here as fellow prop Tom Robertson returned after a stint in England learning at Oxford.
Hodgman confirmed his high quality for the Reds in 2025, however after being one of many aspect’s stronger gamers through the center a part of the season picked up one other damage in late April and didn’t function once more.
Whereas Hodgman’s worldwide change was a case of being one and finished, Ross is more likely to grow to be a mainstay within the Wallabies after lately switching from the Chiefs to the Reds.
The Australian-born prop, who performed 100 Tremendous Rugby matches for the Chiefs, turned eligible for the Wallabies in July after spending three years out of the worldwide sport.
And the retirement of James Slipper, in addition to Robertson’s shift to tight-head prop to cowl for the absent Allan Alaalatoa and Taniela Tupou, noticed Schmidt choose Ross off the bench towards Japan final Saturday.
“It was superior,” stated Ross of his return to worldwide rugby. “To do it in Tokyo is a fairly particular place in itself.”
Aidan Ross at Wallabies coaching in London. Picture: Julius Dimataga, Rugby Australia
Requested what it meant to affix such an unique membership, Ross stated he hadn’t had time to replicate on his place in historical past, however stated he was “proud” of his achievement.
“I haven’t put an excessive amount of time into, I assume, answering that query as such, however, look, I used to be so proud to characterize the All Blacks and I’m simply as equally as proud to characterize the Wallabies,” the rugged prop stated.
“Life’s a journey and your rugby profession’s a journey and it goes other ways.
“It was an superior a part of my journey in New Zealand, and now that chapter’s closed, and I’ve moved the household over to Australia and so they’re loving it. I like that they adore it. We’re on to the subsequent a part of our journey now.”
And what concerning the response from these throughout the ditch?
“I nonetheless have loads of good mates over there,” he stated. “I’ve made with some superior mates right here. You simply preserve those which are near you in your nook and that’s all that issues.”
Ross is predicted to function towards England on Sunday (2:10am) after Robertson was pressured off late within the Wallabies’ 19-15 win over Japan.
However the Wallabies’ front-row is predicted to be bolstered by the returns of Allan Alaalatoa and Taniela Tupou, who have been each wrapped in cotton wool after battling minor niggles in latest weeks.
