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Saracens player escapes formal sanction over nightclub punch that sparked Stokes crisis

The Guardian Sport Thursday 25 June 2026, 17:17 UTC By Exclusive by Matt Hughes 1 min read
Key Points

Totoa Auvaa will not be disciplined for incident on 8 JuneECB understood to be bemused at lack of actionThe Saracens academy player who triggered the Ben Stokes captaincy crisis by throwing a punch at his England teammate Gus Atkinson has escaped without being disciplined. The Guardian understands that Totoa Auvaa, a 21-year-old Samoan back-row, will not face formal disciplinary action from Saracens or the Rugby Football Union despite throwing a punch at Atkinson.

  • Totoa Auvaa will not be disciplined for incident on 8 June

  • ECB understood to be bemused at lack of action

The Saracens academy player who triggered the Ben Stokes captaincy crisis by throwing a punch at his England teammate Gus Atkinson has escaped without being disciplined.

The Guardian understands that Totoa Auvaa, a 21-year-old Samoan back-row, will not face formal disciplinary action from Saracens or the Rugby Football Union despite throwing a punch at Atkinson.

Continue reading...
Saracens (LOCATION) Stokes (PERSON) Totoa Auvaa (PERSON) Saracens academy (ORG) Ben Stokes (PERSON) England (LOCATION) Gus Atkinson (PERSON) Guardian (ORG) Samoan (ORG) the Rugby Football Union (ORG) Atkinson (LOCATION)
Originally published by The Guardian Sport Read original →

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