Wallabies great James Horwill has challenged man-mountain Angus Blyth to embrace the contest that awaits him amid a logjam never before seen at Ballymore.

There are few more physically daunting figures in Australian rugby than the 206cm 26-year-old Blyth, who emerged from obscurity to earn his maiden Test call-up last year alongside fellow unsung locks Ryan Smith and Seru Uru.

But the Reds’ recruitment of Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Josh Canham – who took the second row spots in the side’s 82-21 thumping of Bristol – clouds Blyth’s place in the side.

Horwill, who captained Queensland’s breakthrough 2011 Super Rugby triumph, believes should Blyth and Smith lose their incumbency, they must embrace the role off the bench.

The Reds lost to the Hurricanes, Blues and Brumbies at the death in 2024, costing them a top-four berth.

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“It’s on [Blyth] now to make sure he steps up, and I think he will. They’re the guys who are the cornerstone in the forward pack – they do a lot of stuff that goes unnoticed by the public, who just shore up the team with that physical presence, and do all the nitty-gritty really well,” Horwill said.

“They’re not always the flashy guys, they’re not always on top of the stats, but they’re the guys you can rely on … and allow you to build your game.

“The bench now is so important. You can see the teams who do well, the Kiwis traditionally bring that firepower off the bench and lift the gear because the game is so attritional now.”