Jamie George Criticises Saracens Teammate Totoa Auvaa Over Nightclub Incident
Quick Look
- England rugby captain Jamie George criticized Saracens teammate Totoa Auvaa's "unacceptable" conduct after a London nightclub incident involving England cricket captain Ben Stokes and bowler Gus Atkinson.
- Saracens found Auvaa's involvement regrettable but remained supportive, while the ECB cleared Stokes and Atkinson of violent conduct.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Saracens player Totoa Auvaa was involved in a nightclub incident in London with England cricket captains Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson, leading to disciplinary actions and public criticism from rugby captain Jamie George. Saracens conducted their own investigation, while the ECB and Cricket Regulator also investigated the cricket players.
Jamie George has criticised his Saracen's team-mate Totoa Auvaa's "unacceptable" behaviour after the Samoan was involved in a nightclub incident with England cricket captain Ben Stokes and bowler Gus Atkinson.
Stand-in England rugby captain George, who has 110 caps, said the academy player is like "a rabbit in the headlights in London" and the 21-year-old "doesn't know right from wrong" but insisted he was a "good kid".
Earlier this week, Saracens said forward Auvaa would not face any formal sanctions following their own investigation into the incident on 8 June.
They said while the incident was "regrettable for all parties involved" the Prem Rugby club "remains supportive of the player".
England cricket captain Stokes and bowler Atkinson breached their team's midnight curfew when they were out celebrating victory in the first Test earlier this month.
They were present when a member of England's security staff was left bloodied and in need of medical attention when he was struck by Auvaa.
"He's a young kid who has only left Samoa once," George, 35, was quoted as saying by The Times and The Telegraph.
"He is immature. He is a rabbit in the headlights in London. He's a good kid, but he's got it wrong. There's no disputing that. But we need to make sure that we establish that sort of behaviour is unacceptable.
"There's also a bit of me that thinks we've got to look after him because he doesn't know right from wrong at the minute.
"We'll look after him. We will make sure that he's got role models around him."
Stoke and Atkinson were made unavailable for England's second Test defeat pending an inquiry into events.
A disciplinary hearing by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) found Stokes and Atkinson had breached "contractual obligations" but were blameless for "violent conduct" and the pair were given a written warning with no further action.
A separate inquiry by the Cricket Regulator found there was no case to answer because of insufficient evidence.
"No blame should be attached to the players for violent conduct at the nightclub," said the ECB.
"Stokes was not involved in the altercation and did not witness either incident.
"The evidence the ECB has seen demonstrates that Atkinson was the victim of unprovoked attacks and did not retaliate on either occasion."
Saracens criticised the ECB for not involving them in the process.
Open Questions
- What are the long-term consequences for Auvaa's career?
- Will Saracens implement further internal disciplinary measures for Auvaa?
