Bristol Bears sign Samoan forward sacked by Saracens

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 26 Oct, 19:38 · Archive

Bristol Bears have signed 21-year-old Samoan forward Totoa Auvaa two weeks after Saracens sacked him. Auvaa had been involved in a nightclub altercation with England cricketers Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson in June. He was subsequently dismissed by Saracens following another incident in St Albans, which police are investigating.

Auvaa made one appearance for Saracens in the Prem Cup this season. Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam, himself a former Samoan international, said Auvaa was 'a big, physical young man with enormous potential' who had 'made some mistakes since arriving from a small village in Samoa to the massive city of London'. Lam said Auvaa's agent had approached him asking if he would give the player a second chance.

Lam stated that he believed young people deserved the opportunity to learn from their experiences and grow. He said Bristol could provide Auvaa with 'mentorship, guidance, support and structure' to succeed both as a rugby player and as a person, becoming 'someone his parents and family all the way back in Samoa will be proud of'.

How it is being reported

• Bristol sign Auvaa following Saracens sackingBristol Bears have signed 21-year-old Samoan forward Totoa Auvaa, two weeks after he was sacked by Saracens.BBC Bristol · 26 Oct, 19:03
• Pat Lam explains why Bristol Bears have signed 'sacked' Saracens forwardTotoa Auvaa has been involved in two nightclub incidents in the last six months, which led to his dismissal from SaracensBristolLive · 26 Oct, 18:34

In this story: Bristol Bears · Totoa Auvaa · Saracens · Pat Lam · Ben Stokes · Gus Atkinson · Samoa · St Albans

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