Saracens have sacked academy player Totoa Auvaa with immediate effect after a weekend incident in St Albans, four months after his nightclub punch at Gus Atkinson set off the Ben Stokes saga, ESPNcricinfo reported.
Saracens have sacked academy rugby player Totoa Auvaa, 21, with immediate effect, ESPNcricinfo reported on Monday 12 October. The decision followed a weekend incident in St Albans, and it closes a chapter that English cricket knows well: in June, Auvaa's punch in a Chelsea nightclub set off the crisis around Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson.
| At a glance | Detail |
|---|---|
| What happened | Saracens sacked academy player Totoa Auvaa with immediate effect on Monday 12 October |
| The incident | Early hours of Sunday 11 October, St Peter's Street, St Albans; Hertfordshire constabulary say inquiries are ongoing |
| Auvaa | 21-year-old Samoan forward in Saracens' Senior Men's Academy; joined in August 2025; has captained Samoa's Under-20 and A sides |
| The cricket link | 8 June 2026, Rex Rooms nightclub, Chelsea: his punch, aimed at Gus Atkinson, landed on an ECB security staff member |
| Cricket fallout | Atkinson and Stokes suspended for the second Test against New Zealand, then cleared by the independent Cricket Regulator |
| Stokes | Announced the end of his international career three weeks later, on day four of the third Test |
What Saracens did, and when
On Monday morning the club said an academy player had been stood down from all duties pending a "thorough internal investigation". Later the same day it confirmed that Auvaa had left. In its statement Saracens said "his conduct falls short of the standards expected of everyone who represents Saracens, both on and off the pitch", and that it would make no further comment.
The incident itself is still under police inquiry. Hertfordshire constabulary say they are investigating an altercation between 2:15am and 2:20am on St Peter's Street, in which it is alleged a man in his twenties was approached by another man who then punched him in the face. Nothing has been confirmed beyond that, and no charge has been reported. The Times reports Saracens wanted to act decisively because Auvaa was on a final warning. Earlier that day the club beat Bristol 30-7 at the StoneX Stadium, with Auvaa not in the squad.
Why this is a cricket story
In the early hours of 8 June at the Rex Rooms nightclub in Chelsea, Auvaa's punch, aimed at England seamer Gus Atkinson, landed on a member of the ECB's security staff. The ECB suspended Atkinson and Test captain Ben Stokes for the second Test against New Zealand while conduct was investigated. Both were cleared by the independent Cricket Regulator. The ECB's own investigation said they had breached specific contractual obligations, but that no blame could be attached to either player for the violent conduct.
Stokes announced the end of his international career three weeks later, on day four of the third Test, and has intimated that the saga and the ECB's handling of it contributed to his decision. Saracens had stood by Auvaa in June, with team-mate Jamie George describing him at the time as "a rabbit in the headlights" who "doesn't know right from wrong at the minute". Four months on, that patience has run out.
The sacking is reported by ESPNcricinfo, with the story corroborated by talkSPORT, The Times and The Sun. Read the full story on Cricinfo. Cricinfo.
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