Bristol Bears sign Totoa Auvaa two weeks after Saracens sacking

Bristol Bears have signed Samoan forward Totoa Auvaa, two weeks after Saracens sacked him. The 21-year-old left the Premiership club following an incident in St Albans that police are investigating, and Saracens said his conduct fell short of its standards.

Forwards are the bigger players in a rugby team. They fight for the ball in the scrum, at the lineout and at the ruck, the contest for the ball on the ground after a tackle. Auvaa is one of them, and his new club is now giving him another chance to make his name in the English game.

Bristol Bears announced the signing on their website. Director of rugby Pat Lam said Auvaa's agent had got in touch to ask for a second chance for the player, and the club decided to take it.

The incident in question happened in the early hours of 11 October. Hertfordshire Police say they are investigating an altercation on St Peter's Street in St Albans, between 2:15am and 2:20am, in which a man in his twenties was allegedly punched in the face. Police have not named anyone in their appeal, and the allegation has not been tested in court.

Auvaa's recent record has also drawn attention. In June, he was involved in a nightclub altercation with England cricketers Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson, according to BBC Sport. While on loan at Ampthill, a Championship club (the second tier of English men's club rugby), he was sent off twice last season for violent conduct.

On the pitch, his time at Saracens was brief. He played one match for the club, lasting 20 minutes in a Prem Rugby Cup game in September. He was also part of the club's Senior Men's Academy when he was dismissed, according to Sky Sports.

Saracens dismissed him after an internal investigation, and said he had left the club with immediate effect. Bristol now have a young forward with a physical reputation and a short history of trouble. How he settles in will be the test for player and club alike.