Saracens have sacked troublesome youngster Totoa Auvaa after it was revealed that he punched a man in the face in St Albans in the early hours of Sunday morning.
A statement from Hertfordshire Police read: ‘Police are investigating an altercation which occurred between 2.15 am and 2.20 am on Sunday (October 11) in St Peter’s Street, St Albans. It is alleged a man in his 20s was approached by another man who then punched him in the face. Enquiries are ongoing at this time.’
The attack marks the second incident the 21-year-old has been involved in within just four months, following his initial melee with England cricket captain Ben Stokes and bowler Gus Atkinson at the Rex Rooms in Chelsea in June.
“I am not a player that likes to fight”
Auvaa is no stranger to excessive aggression on the field either, becoming involved in several serious issues during his time on loan at Ampthill RFC.
The first notable incident occurred in November 2025 at home to Hartpury, when he struck an opponent in the face with his right hand, earning a red card, a three-match ban, and a £125 fine.
The player made a statement ahead of the hearing, saying: “I am not a player that likes to fight and I would like to say sorry for the actions of myself in the game.”
His coach also indicated that “there are some external matters which may have had an impact on the player and the way in which he reacted to this incident.” The external matter involved his father in Samoa, who had sadly been taken ill.
Just four months later, however, he was suspended again for lashing out on the field, again against Hartpury – this time for five weeks after stamping down on an opponent’s head after retaliating to having been illegally held.
He did not attend the hearing as he knew “very little English”, according to the hearing report, and would have found it “difficult to manage”.
He did send through a statement at the time, however, saying: “I have worked extremely hard on my discipline this season as its something that is important to the game and I know it’s a big area for me to continue to work on.”
Sadly, since these on-field incidents, he has become embroiled in two very high-profile off-field ones, and now finds himself without a club.
Saracens have revealed a full statement on the recent incident, which reads: “Saracens can confirm that Totoa Auvaa, a member of the Senior Men’s Academy, has left the club with immediate effect.
“Following an incident this weekend, the club has determined that his conduct falls short of the standards expected of everyone who represents Saracens, both on and off the pitch.
“We take our responsibilities to our supporters, young people and partners seriously and we remain committed to upholding the standards of our conduct expected across the club.
“We will not be making any further comment on this matter.”
Saracens issues
The club has also confirmed it is investigating another player who may be involved in the incident, and has stood him down while carrying out a “thorough internal investigation”.
“Saracens is aware of an incident involving a member of the Men’s Senior Academy in St Albans on the evening of Saturday 10 October,” a second statement reads.
“The player involved has been stood down from all club duties with immediate effect while the club carries out a thorough internal investigation to establish the facts.
“Saracens expects the highest standards of conduct from everyone representing the club. We will make no further comment until the investigation has concluded.”
This incident continues a worrying trend of indiscipline within the Saracens ranks.
Just recently, new director of rugby Brendan Venter changed his job title to ‘head of rugby culture and wine consultant’, before altering it to ‘head of culture and technical director’ in an effort to avoid media responsibilities – an important part of his job and a key part of bringing eyes to the game.
Also, in 2024, Billy Vunipola was embroiled in an infamous incident in Majorca in which he was fined £205 and charged with “resisting the law” after being tasered by police in the early hours of the morning in a Palma nightclub.
One thing is for sure, the Saracens PR team will be working overtime this week.
READ MORE: Jake White beats Warren Gatland to World Cup gig and makes style promise: ‘What excites me most’