Reds scoop All Black prop
TRANSFER NEWS: The Reds are set to bolster their Super Rugby squad further after securing the services of All Black and Chiefs prop Aidan Ross from July 2025 on a two-year-deal.
The 29-year-old has been a stalwart for the Chiefs since 2017 and is committed to a strong Super Rugby season with the Hamilton-based side for the 2025 season.
The former All Black has been a regular in the best Chiefs teams of recent seasons having played in the 2023 and 2024 Super Rugby Finals as well as the Aotearoa edition in 2021.
Ross is eligible for Australia in July because of his birth in Gosford, north of Sydney.
He spent the first eight years of his life in Australia before his Kiwi parents moved the family to Tauranga.
His own young family is now one of the reasons he is exploring the broader opportunities the game has to offer.
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“I’ve been at the Chiefs since day dot.
“I want the team to have a huge season in 2025 and finish in a big way because I owe so much to the franchise, the coaches and my teammates for moulding me as a player,” Ross said.
“Beyond that it is a good time to do something different off-shore.
“The attraction with Australia is that I can go there and not be a foreign player. It’s appealing to also be close to family because my partner and I now have our own family with young [17-month-old] Albie.”
Ross reached a career high by playing for New Zealand against Ireland in 2022.
His ambitions remains strong, he contributed a try in Bay of Plenty’s recent NPC Final defeat to Wellington this past season.
“I’ve had a gutful of finishing second so one ambition is pretty clear,” Ross said.
Ross made a quick two-day visit to Brisbane during the off-season to scout the setup at what was then his potential future home before deciding to make the switch to the Reds.
“The Reds have excellent facilities at Ballymore and I have respected the club’s DNA for a long time from some great wins and big losses when we have met on the field,” Ross said.
“After talking to their coaches [head coach Les Kiss and assistant Zane Hilton] I saw how appealing it would be to work under them.
“Like I said, that’s for the future. I’m all in with the Chiefs for next season.”
Image credit:@Allblacks
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