_(cropped).jpg) Paenga-Amosa withMontpellier in 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Brandon Alexanda Paenga-Amosa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | (1995-12-25)25 December 1995 (age 29) Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 117 kg (258 lb; 18 st 6 lb)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Endeavour Sports High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Brandon Alexanda Paenga-Amosa (born 25 December 1995), nicknamed "BPA",[2] is a professionalrugby union player who plays as ahooker forSuper Rugby clubWestern Force and theAustralia national team. Born inNew Zealand, he representsAustralia at international level after qualifying onresidency grounds.[3]
Brandon Alexandra Paenga-Amosa was born on 25 December 1995 inAuckland,New Zealand.[1][4][5] He is ofSamoan andMāori descent.[6] His family moved toAustralia when he was 4-years-old, settling inSydney,New South Wales.[7] Until the age of 15, Paenga-Amosa is reported to have only playedrugby league, being involved in theCanterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs youth academy.[8] He played junior rugby withOatley Rugby Club in theSouth Western Sydney suburb ofRiverwood.[9] He attendedEndeavour Sports High School,[10] studiedtheology, and was a youth worker atHillsong College.[11] While atEndeavour Sports High School Paenga-Amosa switched from playing rugby league torugby union.[7] After his switch Paenga-Amosa was selected in a Combined High Schools team alongsideLukhan Salakaia-Loto (known as Lukhan Tui).[7] Paenga-Amosa later played senior rugby withSouthern Districts in theShute Shield. While playing forSouthern Districts Paenga-Amosa worked as agarbage collector inSydney alongside futureWallabies hookerFolau Fainga'a.[12]
Paenga-Amosa has stated that his idol growing up wasNew Zealandfly-halfCarlos Spencer;[13] he also supported theBlues[4] and was a diehardAll Blacks fan.[6]
Paenga-Amosa was reported to have been in and out of theNew South Wales Waratahs program while playing for theSouthern Districts in theShute Shield, the club he began his senior career with. His strong scrummaging and physical presence earned attention at higher levels, and was later picked up by theGreater Sydney Rams in theNational Rugby Championship (NRC).[14] After one season (2016) with the Greater Sydney Rams, Paenga-Amosa was picked up by rural-based New South Wales club, theNew South Wales Country Eagles for2017. He appeared in all eight of the Country Eagles' fixtures for the season, and scored a hat-trick in the final match of the season againstBrisbane City, which finished 38-all.[15][16] Ahead of the2018 Super Rugby season, Paenga-Amosa was offered a position with theMelbourne Rebels in their wider training squad.[7] However, following the retirement ofQueensland Reds hookerStephen Moore,[17] new coachBrad Thorn offered Paenga-Amosa a two-year contract, to which he signed.[7][18] Months later, reflecting on his move to the Reds, Paenga-Amosa stated: "I was kind of star struck, having this idol of mine [Brad Thorn] call me, asking me if I wanted to come up toBrisbane. As soon as I spoke to him, I jumped in the car and drove toQueensland."[7]
Paenga-Amosa was the Reds' first-choice hooker for2018. He played in every match for the youthful Reds and scored four tries throughout the season.[16][19] Early into the season the Reds pulled off two major wins against dominant scrummaging sides: rivals theBrumbies, and thePretoria-basedBulls.[17] These wins were noted as the Reds' forward pack was significantly younger and inexperienced than their opponents.[20] Paenga-Amosa played a further sixteen games for the Reds in their following season (2019), although only starting in six. He scored five tries, one more than the previous season. At the end of the season Paenga-Amosa signed a two-year contract extension.[5]
In thefirst round of the2020 Super Rugby season (February 2020), Paenga‑Amosa suffered ankle ligament damage during a match against theBrumbies inCanberra, forcing him to exit early and undergo medical assessment.[21] This injury occurred just as he was poised to reclaim the starting hooker spot fromAlex Mafi, after a strong off‑season.[21] Paenga-Amosa returned ahead of the newly-createdSuper Rugby AU competition, and was a regular starter in the lineup. Paenga-Amosa played in every Reds match of the 2020 Super Rugby AU season, including the 28–23 final defeat against the Brumbies. Throughout 2020, Paenga‑Amosa was influential in maintaining forward momentum, set‑pieces (especially lineout and scrums from the hooker role), and showed a more physical presence. Media comment noted his "ball‑carrying" and collision work reminiscent, provocatively, of players likeMa'a Nonu.[22]
Early in the 2021 season, Paenga‑Amosa was sidelined with a neck injury, delaying his squad involvement untilround four of the2021 Super Rugby AU season.[16][19][23] Post‑injury Paenga‑Amosa notably helped restore some stability to the hooker position and restore depth to the Reds' forward pack.[24] Australian sports website,The Roar, suggested that set‑piece execution (especially lineout throwing) was an area where the Reds hoped Paenga‑Amosa could contribute improvements when healthy.[23] Paenga‑Amosa played twelve matches for the Reds in 2021, including theFinal victory over theBrumbies and theSuper Rugby Trans-Tasman.[16][19]
In early July 2021 it was confirmed that Paenga-Amosa had signed forMontpellier in theFrenchTop 14 competition.[2][25] In his first season with Montpellier, he made seventeen appearances in all competitions, including thirteen in theTop 14, starting in six.[16][19] In European competition (theChampions Cup) he made four appearances.[16][19] He scored one try in the Top 14 and contributed about 606 minutes in domestic play.[16][19] In June 2022 Paenga-Amosa replacedGuilhem Guirado in the 26th minute of the2021–22 Top 14 Final againstCastres (whom came off with aconcussion).[26][27] Montpellier won 29–10 in what was their first French title since being established in 1986.[28]
In the following season2022–23, Paenga‑Amosa's role increased. He played twenty-four matches for Montpellier in all competitions, of which nineteen were in the Top 14, and was a starter in twelve of those Top 14 matches.[16][19] He also played five matches in the Champions Cup. He scored five tries in the Top 14 during the season.[16][19] He also played approximately 995 minutes domestically during that campaign.[16][19]
In his final season with Montpellier (2023–24), Paenga‑Amosa made twelve Top 14 appearances, starting in eight of those, scoring one try, with about 497 minutes played domestically. He also made three appearances in the Challenge Cup.[16][19] Though slightly less prominent than in 2022–23, he continued to be a front‑row squad member when selected, contributing in both set‑piece and contact phases. In an interview withRugbyPass, Paenga-Amosa said that one area he improved in was hisscrummaging, particularly in adapting to how hookers in theTop 14 are pressured.[29] He mentioned being more exposed to the French tight‑head players who "take that angle", try to break the seam between the loose‑head prop and hooker. He said his exposure in French rugby forced him to raise his technique.[29]
In April 2024 it was announced that Paenga-Amosa had returned to Australia, signing a long-term deal with thePerth-basedWestern Force ahead of the2025 Super Rugby Pacific season.[30][31] His recruitment was part of a wider forward‑pack strengthening strategy for the Force, which included additions such asNic Dolly,Harry Johnson-Holmes,Darcy Swain,Will Harris, among others.[32][33][34] In an interview withRugby.com.au, Paenga-Amosa said that his time in France and his experience as a father have contributed to increased composure, better preparation for contests, and greater leadership in tight phases;[35] withGreen and Gold Rugby (GAGR) commenting on a "wealth of experience and renewed sense of purpose" Paenga-Amosa would now bring to theSuper Rugby after his stint in France.[36]
Paenga-Amosa played seven matches for the Force in 2025, scoring two tries.[16][19]
On 30 May 2018, Australia coachMichael Cheika named Paenga-Amosa in their 32-man squad for theirthree-test series againstIreland.[37] Paenga-Amosa was named as the starting hooker in the first test on 9 June 2018.[11] Paenga-Amosa made his debut in Australia's 18–9 win atLang Park,Brisbane.[38] Paenga-Amosa started in Australia's following two tests against Ireland.[39][40] Australia lost the series 1–2.[40]
In 2019 Paenga-Amosa was not selected forAustralia in any tournament, including the2019 Rugby World Cup. Paenga-Amosa was renamed in the Australia squad for the2020 Autumn Internationals,[41] starting in the Wallabies' secondBledisloe Cup test atEden Park.[42] In Australia's next four matches, which took place in the2020 Tri-Nations Series, Paenga-Amosa started at hooker.[16][19]
In 2021 Paenga-Amosa started in Australia's first five matches of the season, scoring his first international try in their first test onFrance's2021 tour of Australia.[16][19] In the latter-half of the season Paenga-Amosa was contracted withMontpellier in the French Top 14 and was not selected for the remainder of the year.[citation needed]
Between late 2021 and mid-2024, Paenga-Amosa, whom played rugby in France, was not eligible for Wallabies selection due to not meeting the requisite criteria laid out ingiteau's law. After being re-signed to an Australian Super Rugby team in early 2024, he was named in the Wallabies squad ahead of their two-tests against New Zealand in the2024 Rugby Championship.[43] Paenga-Amosa played both tests as a substitute, coming on forQueensland Reds hookerMatt Faessler.[16][19] He also joined the team on the2024 Grand Slam tour, being a substitute in the first two test, before starting in the latter two.[16][19]
Paenga-Amosa scored his second international try in August 2025 againstSouth Africa atCape Town Stadium. Australia lost30–22.[44]
