Angus Scott-Young joined the Waratahs in December.Credit: Instagram/Waratahs
The punch that inflicted the damage to Scott-Young’s eye-socket occurred in the second clash, sources said. The backrower wipes at his right eye after walking away.
“Rugby Australia and the NSW Waratahs confirm that Miles Amatosero has been suspended for four games following a formal review into a training ground incident earlier this month,” a Waratahs statement said on Saturday.
“Amatosero can reduce his suspension to two games upon successful completion of counselling and education programs. He will miss the Waratahs’ upcoming trial matches against the Reds and Brumbies.”
The Waratahs play trials against Queensland on January 31 and the Brumbies on February 5, and at best, leaves the Waratahs with two experienced forwards entering the opening round of Super Rugby on February 13 without a warm-up game under their belt.
Scott-Young is in doubt for the opening game against the Reds at Allianz Stadium but the 28-year-old is still hopeful of being available, pending clearance from a specialist.
But coach Dan McKellar and senior leadership will also have the added challenge of repairing team harmony, with the nasty incident having gone beyond the usual boundaries of a training ground flare-up, and caused friction inside the Waratahs camp.
There was no history between the pair, according to NSW sources.
The Waratahs backrower only arrived at the club in December, after being recruited from Northampton late last year.
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.
Miles Amatosero (right) squares up to a Crusaders’ opponent.Credit: Getty Images
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. The Waratahs are owned by Rugby Australia.
Horne interviewed Amatosero and Scott-Young and viewed the training footage. 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.
Loading
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.
“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,” McKellar said in an interview with the Herald last week.
