Dramatic footage of Waratahs punch-up emerges after enforcer suspended

Dramatic training footage has shed light on the pre-season punch-up between Waratahs teammates that left Angus Scott-Young with a fractured eye socket and saw giant NSW lock Miles Amatosero slapped with a four-match suspension.

Rugby Australia and the Waratahs announced the sanction on Saturday after an investigation into the skirmish between Amatosero and Scott-Young during a Waratahs’ training session two weeks ago.

Amatosero was suspended for four matches but will miss only two trial games against Queensland and the Brumbies in the next fortnight if he completes counselling and education programs.

The incident was captured on training footage filmed by the Waratahs, which formed a key part of the RA investigation and was obtained by the Herald. The clip shows how the nasty fracas, which involved two separate flare-ups, unfolded across a span of 25 seconds.

The video shows Amatosero colliding with Scott-Young off the ball during a game simulation, after halfback Teddy Wilson elects to not pass and steps back into the ruck.

Scott-Young appears to pull Amatosero to the ground, with an arm around his neck. Positioned on top of Scott-Young, Amatosero then throws three punches before being shoved off by a teammate.

The moment seemed over as Amatosero walked back to the tryline but Scott-Young then walked towards him and appeared to raise his fists. Sources familiar with the investigation, who cannot comment publicly, said Amatosero told RA high-performance boss Peter Horne that Scott-Young verbally challenged him.

The footage shows Amatosero then walking to Scott-Young and throwing another two punches before the fight was broken up again. Scott-Young testified he didn’t throw a punch, according to informed sources, and the footage appears to back that up.

The punch that inflicted the damage to Scott-Young’s eye socket occurred in the second clash, sources said. The back-rower wiped 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, it leaves the Waratahs with two experienced forwards entering the opening round of Super Rugby on February 13 without a warm-up game under their belts.

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 as the nasty incident went 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.

Scott-Young only arrived at the club in December, after being recruited from Northampton late last year.

Amatosero apologised to Scott-Young after the session, and no action was initially 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. 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.

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” midway 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.