Angus Scott-Young joined the Waratahs in December.Credit: Instagram/Waratahs
Several sources with knowledge of the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the clash occurred during a live game simulation. The incident began when Scott-Young was tackled by Amatosero off the ball near the ruck.
On the ground, Scott-Young took exception and grabbed Amatosero’s jersey, at which point the 125kg Tahs lock threw three punches at his older teammate’s head, the sources said. The pair were separated by nearby players but after standing up, Scott-Young verbally challenged Amatosero, who then connected another two blows to the face of Scott-Young.
There was no history between the pair, according to NSW sources.
Amatosero apologised to Scott-Young after the session, and there was initially no action taken by the Waratahs.
Teammates getting in fights and skirmishes at training, particularly during the pre-season, is relatively common and clubs in many sports even post footage or pictures on social media to show the team’s intensity. The flare-ups rarely yield a serious injury, however.
As is also often the case in interclub fights, the Waratahs were keen to resolve the matter within the team environment, sources said.
But given the severity of Scott-Young’s injury and lingering questions about the clash and its aftermath, Rugby Australia and the Waratahs opened an investigation late last week to determine if there’d been a code of conduct breach by Amatosero. The Waratahs are owned by Rugby Australia.
Rugby Australia high-performance boss Peter Horne interviewed Amatosero and Scott-Young and viewed training footage.
Miles Amatosero (right) squares up to a Crusaders’ opponent.Credit: Getty Images
Amatosero attended a Waratahs training camp in Mudgee this week. Scott-Young did not travel to Mudgee but returned to training in Sydney.
The fallout from the Waratahs’ fight club, and the potential absence of two key forwards, is an unneeded headache for the team on the eve of their Super Rugby season. But it also hasn’t come as a huge shock to many in Australian rugby given the reputation of coach Dan McKellar for running intense and combative training environments.
McKellar achieved great success as coach of the Brumbies, and on the Wallabies staff, with uncompromising training standards. Since taking over at the Waratahs last year, the coach has spoken often about the need to forge a similar mindset at NSW.
He blasted some players for being “too comfortable” mid-way through last year and promised change.
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“It’s the daily discipline to be able to have good habits on the field and off the field. And to change a habit within a player or an individual human being, it’s difficult, and it takes time … you can’t just turn up on Saturday off the back of a light and fluffy week,” McKellar said in an interview with the Herald last week.
“If you look at other codes and other sports across the globe, the teams that train with the highest intensity and can deliver that day in and day out, they’re the teams that are having success.”
Amatosero is entering his third season with the Waratahs and at 203cm and 125kg, will be an important player if he can find consistency. He showed his potential with a standout performance for NSW against the British and Irish Lions last year, but has only started in half of his 24 games for the Tahs.
Speaking to the Herald last week, McKellar said he had challenged and worked closely with the 23-year-old.
“In his physical development he’s considerably fitter than what he was 12 months ago. He’s starting to understand what a good game from a tight headlock really looks like. It can’t just be about moments. What is physicality? It’s a bit of a buzzword. What does it look like for a tighthead lock?“, McKellar said.
“Like a lot of players, we’ve certainly seen development within him. I believe if he gets it right and values what’s important in his position, he has the ability to play at the highest level.”
