The Waratahs are facing suspension after a club battle broke out at pre-season training

As is often the case in inter-club battles, the Waratahs wanted to resolve the matter in a team environment, sources said.

But given the seriousness of Scott-Young’s injury – he suffered a fractured eye socket that could see him miss the Waratahs’ first game against Queensland on February 13 – and lingering questions about the collision and its aftermath, Rugby Australia and the Waratahs launched an investigation late last week into whether there was a breach of rules led by Amatosero. The Waratahs are owned by Rugby Australia.

Rugby Australia chief executive Peter Horne interviewed Amatoser and Scott-Young at the weekend and viewed training footage. Informed sources said the findings of the investigation and possible sanctions are likely to be handed down later this week.

Amatosero, who has not withdrawn and is with the Waratahs at a training camp in Mudgee this week, could face suspension during the Tahs’ trials, with games against Queensland on January 31 and the Brumbies on February 5.

“The NSW Waratahs and Rugby Australia are aware of the incident that occurred during Waratahs pre-season training recently and are looking into the matter,” the RA statement said.

Scott-Young did not travel to Mudgee but returned to training in Sydney this week and according to the Waratahs he still hopes to be available for round one against his former team at Allianz Stadium.

Relegation from the struggling Waratahs club and the potential absence of two key forwards is an unnecessary headache for the team on the eve of the Super Rugby season. But it also didn’t come as much of a shock to many in Australian rugby given coach Dan McKellar’s reputation for running intense and combative training environments.

McKellar achieved great success as coach of the Brumbies and in the Wallabies team with uncompromising training standards. Since taking charge at the Waratahs last year, the coach has often spoken of the need to create a similar mindset in NSW.

He condemned some players for being “too comfortable” in the middle of last year and promised a change.

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“It’s a daily discipline to be able to have good habits on and off the field. And changing a habit in a player or an individual human being is hard and takes time … you can’t just show up on Saturday off the back of a light and fluffy week,” McKellar said in an interview with the team. Announce last week

“When you look at other codes and other sports around the world, the teams that train at the highest intensity and can deliver every day are the teams that achieve success.”

Amatosero enters his third season with the Waratahs and at 203cm and 125kg he will be an important player if he can find consistency. He showed his potential last year with an outstanding performance for NSW against the British and Irish Lions, but only started half of his 24 games for the Tahs.

talk to Announce Last week, McKellar said he challenged the 23-year-old and worked closely with him.

“He’s significantly fitter in his physical development than he was 12 months ago. He’s starting to understand what a good tight-headed game looks like. It can’t be a matter of moments. What is physicality? It’s a bit of a buzzword. What does a tight-headed game look like?” McKellar said.

“Like a lot of players, we’ve definitely seen him develop. I believe if he gets it right and appreciates what’s important in his position, he has the ability to play at the highest level.”