Saracens sack academy forward Totoa Auvaa after St Albans incident

Saracens have sacked academy forward Totoa Auvaa after an incident over the weekend.

The Premiership club confirmed the dismissal on 12 October. It said the 21-year-old’s conduct fell short of the standards expected of everyone who represents Saracens both on and off the pitch, as reported by The Guardian.

Saracens said the incident happened in St Albans on the evening of Saturday 10 October. That is the club’s home town, just north of London.

The player was stood down from all club duties with immediate effect while the club carried out a thorough internal investigation, according to WalesOnline. The club issued the update in a short Club Statement about a member of its Men’s Senior Academy.

Auvaa is a Samoan back-row. The back-row are the tackling and carrying forwards who pack down at the back of the scrum. The academy is Saracens’ development squad for young players pushing towards the first team.

What makes this stand out is that Auvaa’s name has been in the headlines before. That earlier case dates to the early hours of Monday 8 June at the Rex Rooms nightclub in Chelsea, London.

England cricket’s governing body, the ECB, accused Auvaa of launching unprovoked attacks during that night out. Reporting at the time said a punch thrown at England cricketer Gus Atkinson missed. England cricketers Ben Stokes and Atkinson were both stood down after that London nightclub incident.

Saracens investigated the June events and decided to take no further action against Auvaa. The club described the events of 8 June as regrettable for all parties involved and said it had thoroughly reviewed the matter and now considered it closed, as reported by Yahoo Sport.

For supporters, this means a clean break. The June matter was closed without sanction. The October matter has ended with dismissal.