Bristol Bears have offered a second chance to Samoan forward Totoa Auvaa, two weeks after Saracens dismissed the 21-year-old senior academy player.
Saracens let Auvaa go following an incident on a night out in St Albans. That dismissal came four months after he was involved in the highly publicised nightclub altercation that ultimately led to then England captain Ben Stokes retiring from international cricket.
Bristol Bears boss Pat Lam says he is willing to look beyond those past mistakes and take the loose forward under his wing.
“Totoa is a big, physical young man with enormous potential, who unfortunately has made some mistakes since arriving from a small village in Samoa to the massive city of London,” said Lam.
“His agent reached out to me, to see if I would be willing to help him and give him a second chance. I’ve always believed that young people deserve the opportunity to learn from those experiences, grow and become better people.”
A Chance to Grow
Lam believes the club can give Auvaa the support he needs to succeed.
“Having spent time with Totoa, I feel confident that we can provide him with the mentorship, guidance, support and structure to give him the best possible opportunity to succeed, not just as a rugby player, but as a person. Someone his parents and family all the way back in Samoa will be proud of.”
Lam added that the club sees real promise in the young forward.
“He has a huge amount of ability and we’re looking forward to helping him develop, make the most of this opportunity and become a valued member of the Bears family.”