Banned Wallabies lock to miss just one Test for Australia despite copping three-match suspension
Wallabies lock Miles Amatosero
Lock Miles Amatosero is set to miss just one game for the Wallabies following his red card in the victory over Japan last weekend.
The 24-year-old, who was starting for the first time for Australia, was issued a yellow card in the 31st minute against the Brave Blossoms after a dangerous hit on opposing lock Warner Dearns.
Referee Eoghan Cross gave a yellow card to the second-rower before sending the incident to be reviewed by the Foul Play Review officer, Matt Rodden, who upgraded the sanction to a 20-minute red card.
Wallabies lock banned
Despite the setback, Australia still managed to emerge victorious, holding out for a 35-32 victory, and after facing a Foul Play Review Committee on Monday, the lock has now learned his disciplinary fate.
“The Foul Play Review Committee (FPRC) has found Australian lock Miles Amatosero guilty of dangerous play for a contrary charge into a ruck or maul, in breach of Law 9.20(a),” a SANZAAR statement read.
“Amatosero was shown a red card for the dangerous play in the 33rd minute of the international match between Japan and Australia at Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Osaka. The FPRC determined that the act of foul play merited a mid-range entry point of six weeks/matches.
“In light of Amatosero’s admission that he committed an act of foul play, along with mitigating factors such as his disciplinary history, experience, and remorse, the FPRC imposed a reduction of three weeks on the sanction.”
The statement further confirmed that the lock has been given permission to apply to take part in World Rugby’s Coaching Intervention Programme as a substitute for the final match of the sanction.
Furthermore, the lock has been allowed to include a Shute Shield fixture in his suspension, a match he would likely have never featured in. This means that he will likely only miss the Wallabies’ showdown with Japan in Queensland this weekend.
His absence will also be offset by the return of Tom Hooper, who was called into the squad ahead of the clash with Japan in Osaka.
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This after the 25-year-old recovered from a shoulder injury suffered during the opening Test of the year against Ireland. It would be Hooper’s first game in Queensland since his decision to commit to the Reds and return to Australian Rugby in 2028.
While Amatosero will miss the return fixture against Japan, he is likely to be available for selection for both Tests against Argentina as well as the one-off clash with the Springboks and the back-to-back Bledisloe Cup Tests against the All Blacks in October.
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“I don’t think that was an emotional decision,” Wallabies boss Les Kiss said on the red card after the match.
“I just thought he felt that while he was in a place, he went to go for it, he (Dearns) was going down. Maybe he could have controlled that a bit more, I don’t know. Ultimately, he’s upset in there. I won’t say too much more about it.”
Kiss added that he wasn’t suggesting the red card decision was wrong: “We’ll live with the decision now and we’ll have a good look at it, whether he was falling or whatever, that’s for other people to decide. I’ll go back to it and look at it. A bit of a setback for him.”
Miles Amatosero 😬 pic.twitter.com/ycyVYkdXHU
— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) August 8, 2026
The matches Miles Amatosero has been banned for
– Australia v Japan, Saturday, 15 August 2026
– Gordon v Opponent in Shute Shield to be determined, Saturday, 22 August 2026
– Argentina v Australia, Saturday, 29 August 2026*
*Amatosero was given permission to apply to take part in World Rugby’s Coaching Intervention Programme as a substitute for the final match of the sanction.