New Waratah Miles Amatosero is eager to pull on the sky blue jersey as he reflects on his journey back home.
The 21-year-old Amatosero adds significant size to the Waratahs pack for 2024, standing at 2.03m, almost six and eight centimetres taller than 2023 starters Ned Hanigan and Jed Holloway.
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“It’s amazing (to be home). It’s been a long time being away,” Amatosero told NSW Rugby.
“There’s been a few faces I haven’t seen for a while so it’s good to see.”
Amatosero always desired to pull on the Waratahs jersey but his journey took a detour through the south of France in Claremont.
“I was going to sign for the Waratahs in the Academy here,” he explained. “Before I did, I asked to look at all my options and then I got a call from France…I went for a trial, just saw it as a holiday in Europe, got over there and loved it and then they offered me a three year contract.
“It was hard to say no here but I thought while I was young and not likely playing professional Rugby, I thought why not.”
The holiday quickly ended for Amatosero, who was thrust into the side as an 18-year-old against Toulon in 2020.
During his three-year stint, he'd play 31 games for Claremont, including four games in the Champions Cup as they took on the likes of Leicester and the Stormers.
He finished up his stint with 'Montferrand' at the start of the month before heading to Daceyville to get up to speed quickly before February's Super Rugby Pacific opener.
“(The) biggest difference is it’s very precise here with timings and much quicker,” he added.
“There wasn’t much rest in-between sets which is good for footy…there’s bigger collisions in France, the tight five just truck it up and not really do much else. Here, it’s doing that but having the skills to play around and be able to move around the pitch faster which I’m excited for.”
