The Lions series is gone but more pain could be on the way for the Wallabies, with Allan Alaalatoa set for an extended period out of the game – and it could see the return of a departing Wallaby.

The Roar can reveal that Alaalatoa, who didn’t return in the second half of the Wallabies’ heartbreaking 29-26 loss to the Lions at the MCG, will miss the final Test of the series – and could be sidelined for months.

Although the exact extent of the injury is yet to be revealed, it’s understood the 31-year-old sustained a pectoral injury that will see him miss at least the upcoming tour of South Africa.

Sources have told The Roar that Alaalatoa could even be forced to go under the knife if he doesn’t respond well to time on the sidelines, which would be a season-ending injury.

Allan Alaalatoa will miss the series finale against the Lions and could miss most of The Rugby Championship after coming off injured at the MCG. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)

The development is a huge blow to Joe Schmidt’s plans of continuing the momentum gained in Melbourne, where the Wallabies pushed the Lions to the brink and only lost because of a controversial last-minute try.

Alaalatoa’s absence was part of the reason the Wallabies were overrun.

Without the in-form tight-head prop, as well as Will Skelton’s weight behind him for much of the second half, the Wallabies’ scrum was well-beaten as Ellis Genge and Will Stuart helped turn the screws on their opponents. It led to a tough evening at the office for replacement tight-head Tom Robertson.

The scrum pressure allowed the Lions to play at the right end of the field – and ultimately the territorial advantage proved decisive.

Who Schmidt turns to remains to be seen, with Robertson, Tupou and Zane Nonggorr also in the squad. Test All Blacks loose-head prop Aidan Ross, who grew up in Australia and recently signed with the Reds, has also been drafted into the squad after being out of the international game for three years.

Robertson has come off the bench twice for the Wallabies this year, but the prop, who was sent back to play loose-head prop against the Lions for the Force, has never started a Test at tight-head prop.

Nonggorr’s consistency at scrum time remains the Reds prop’s biggest area of improvement.

While Tupou, the 29-year-old veteran of 59 Tests, has gone from a first-choice option under Schmidt just nine months ago to being out of the 23 altogether in 2025 after an underwhelming season at the Waratahs that ultimately saw him sign with French Top 14 outfit Racing 92.

Taniela Tupou could return against the Lions after Allan Alaalatoa was ruled out of the third Lions Test. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, the Wallabies say they won’t be using last weekend’s controversial moment at the death as motivation to ensure the Lions don’t walk away with a first three-nil series whitewash on Australian shores since 1904.

“We were leading for 79 minutes, but at the end of the day, there’s so many moments up until that where we could have capitalised on a bit more on that,” Wallabies lock Nick Frost told reporters in Sydney on Monday.

“And so they are those touch points that we’ve got to go back and review on with how can we be better in different facets of the game. We had a pretty decent lead in that first half and we gave away a few tries before halftime. So there’s key moments.

“It doesn’t always come down to the refs, who are still right at the end. So there’s a whole span of things that are in our favour that we can control.

“At the end of the day, you can’t really rely right at the end for a decision there. If you’re relying on that, you’ve probably haven’t done enough work throughout the game.”

Frost’s teammate Max Jorgensen, who has been one of the Wallabies’ best this year and will have a new partner on the wing following Harry Potter’s injury, added that the Wallabies had no shortage of motivation heading into the series finale.

“You’re playing a Test match for your country and especially against the Lions,” Jorgensen said. “I don’t think it’s a challenge to get up for. I think it’s a very easy thing to get up for.

“The series is gone but we’re not going to let them head home with a clean sweep, so we’ve got a massive job on our shoulders for this weekend.”