Jamie George calls Saracens team-mate Auvaa 'immature' after nightclub punch struck cricket security guard

England hooker Jamie George has condemned the behaviour of Saracens team-mate Totoa Auvaa as “unacceptable” following a nightclub altercation in Chelsea that led to England cricketers Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson being temporarily stood down from international duty. George described the 21-year-old Samoan academy back-row as “a rabbit in the headlights in London” while insisting he remained “a good kid”.

The incident took place in the early hours of 8 June at the Rex Rooms in Chelsea. Auvaa threw a punch at Atkinson that missed and instead struck an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) security guard, who required stitches but chose not to report the matter to police. Saracens described the events as “regrettable for all parties involved” and said the club remained “supportive” of their player. Auvaa avoided formal sanctions.

“He is immature. He is a rabbit in the headlights in London,” George was quoted as saying by The Times and The Telegraph. “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.”

George also struck a protective tone toward the young player, acknowledging the challenges of adapting to life in a major city far from home. “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,” he said. “We’ll look after him. We will make sure that he’s got role models around him.”

Auvaa, who George noted had only left Samoa once before arriving in London, has not faced criminal charges following the security guard’s decision not to involve police.

The fallout for English cricket was significant. Stokes and Atkinson were stood down for England’s second Test against New Zealand while an independent Cricket Regulator investigation examined a potential breach of team protocols. Both players were subsequently cleared of wrongdoing and recalled for the third Test, though the ECB issued each with written conduct warnings for contravening “specific contractual obligations”.

George’s public comments represent an unusually candid assessment from a senior player about a club colleague, framing the episode as both a disciplinary failure and a welfare concern for a young player still finding his footing in professional rugby.