'Go out and attack them': Amatosero taking Lions influence into 'Zoo' battle

Fri, May 8, 2026, 4:25 AM
Nathan Williamson
by Nathan Williamson
ock Miles Amatosero is calling on his British & Irish Lions series to tame the raucous Dunedin crowd.
ock Miles Amatosero is calling on his British & Irish Lions series to tame the raucous Dunedin crowd.

As the NSW Waratahs prepare to silence the Highlanders and the 'Zoo' of Forsyth Barr Stadium, lock Miles Amatosero is calling on his British & Irish Lions series to tame the raucous crowd.

The Waratahs head to Forsyth Barr Stadium needing a victory to stay in finals contention, sharing the same amount of points as the hosts.

Watch every second of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season live and on demand via Stan Sport.

For Amatosero and the Waratahs, there's plenty of 'fuel' spearheading their charge after a disappointing defeat to the Western Force at home, which saw them make just one line break and coach Dan McKellar come out as say they were 'bullied.'

“The general feel is just that we're fired up, we had a couple games obviously not go our way, and just moving forward we're just keen to show what we can really do really," he told reporters.

“As a forward, it's just about dominating that other pack and really showing what we've got the capability to do as we've shown earlier on this season.

“There were some good passages, you know, but the game's 80 minutes, it's got to be for the whole 80 minutes. It's just fuel and fire in the belly for this week.”

The young lock was looking to release the pressure gauge like they were able to do against the Lions last year, producing the best performance of the Super Rugby sides in defeat.

“As a team, the pressure was off us [against the Lions] and it was just go out and attack them and that's exactly what we're going to be doing this week," he reflected.

"The pressure's off us. It's all just about attacking them."

Amatosero has already reunited with former Clermont teammate Tomas Lavanini, with the two spending time together before the second-row returned home to Australia.

It helps the lock embrace the challenge of filling the void left by Matt Philip, who is resting at home with a calf complaint.

“He's a good mate, caught up with him for a coffee. He's a good bloke and keen to get up against him," Amatosero said on the Los Pumas lock.

“I love coming up against high honour locks because for me, it makes my job a lot easier because the pressure's off me and I can just do what I love to do and I'm just trying to dominate my opposite position.”

 

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