The mystery surrounding Miles Amatosero’s four-match suspension has been lifted, with reports confirming the Waratahs lock was involved in a physical altercation with new recruit Angus Scott-Young.
The mystery surrounding Miles Amatosero’s four-match suspension has been lifted, with reports confirming the Waratahs lock was involved in a physical altercation with new recruit Angus Scott-Young.
While the Waratahs’ official statement on Saturday referred only to a "training ground incident," a report from Nine has revealed that the 203cm lock and the hard-nosed backrower traded blows during a heated session at Daceyville earlier this week.
According to the report, the confrontation escalated during a live contact drill, spilling over from a competitive maul into a physical exchange that required teammates to separate the pair.
During a promotional visit to Melbourne for the Australian Open, Waratahs star Max Jorgensen confessed that things had gotten heated.
"It was on. It wasn't just a jersey grab, there were punches thrown. Angus doesn't take a backward step and Miles is obviously a big unit. It boiled over pretty quickly,” he said.
Jorgensen pointed out that the standards at training had been higher than usual as the Waratahs will be pushing for a finals berth in the 2026 edition of Super Rugby Pacific.
"The standards have been lifted this year... tempers were fraying a bit because everyone is fighting for spots. It was just pure frustration that crossed the line," he added.
Jorgensen was quick to move on from the training ground incident.
"It's a tough one. Stuff like that happens in our game, and it's a high-performance environment. Stuff like that's always going to happen, and we just move on with it. Hopefully, everything gets put behind us, and we can just keep playing footy."
The Fallout
The Waratahs acted swiftly, handing Amatosero a four-match ban, which can be reduced to two games upon the completion of an education program.
Scott-Young, who joined the Waratahs this season to add grit to the backrow, was reportedly not sanctioned to the same extent, suggesting Amatosero was viewed as the instigator or the escalator of the violence.
The suspension means Amatosero will miss the trial matches against the Reds and Brumbies, disrupting Head Coach Dan McKellar’s plans to cement his tight-five rotation.
The Waratahs are yet to comment officially on Scott-Young's involvement.